LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Wind farm wildlife row 

News that rare red squirrels have been sighted in forest land overlooking the Teifi Valley should lead to a halting of the controversial Blaengwen wind farm development.

That’s the message from the opponents to the construction of 10 340ft wind turbines on the edge of Brechfa Forest, which is one of the Tan 8 strategic areas designated for renewable energy development.

The campaigners, who are hoping to have the development called in by the Assembly, have had their position strengthened by renowned Welsh wildlife celebrity Iolo Williams.

Mr Williams recently revealed that Brechfa was home to small numbers of the lovable native species.

The plans for the wind farm, situated near Pencader, were approved by Carmarthenshire councillors in March 2007.

The project, developed by Force 9 Energy in partnership with Catamount Cymru Cyf, is expected to produce 23MW of electricity by next autumn.

Speaking to the Carmarthen Journal, Iolo Williams said: “They [red squirrels] were filmed in Brechfa recently for a TV series I have on S4C.

“The Countryside Council for Wales has put a lot of money into a project about red squirrels. I would hope they would keep an eye on what’s going on [at Blaengwen].

“If the wind farm does impinge on them in any way, they should throw it out.

“There are maybe four small areas in Wales where red squirrels are holding on in the wild – and I mean just holding on. They are Angelsey, two areas in North Wales and here at Brechfa. It’s very sad.”

Iolo admitted that he didn’t know the exact boundary of the wind farm or the distribution of the red squirrels at Brechfa.

Blaengwen Objectors Group chairman Richard Payne said: “They’re going to be taking a certain amount of the tree lines down and the infrasound, and the sound of the blades, could kill the colony off. We’ve said several times that there was an endangered species there.”

Mr Payne admitted that, from the objectors’ point of view, the discovery of the red squirrel colony would be “a grace”.

A spokeswoman for public relations company Pendragon, which represents Force 9 and Catamount Cymru Cyf, said: “We did undertake a survey, and there were none [red squirrels] inhabiting the site at the time.”

She added that there was no evidence that wind turbine developments had a harmful effect on red squirrels.

Carmarthenshire Council wind farm case officer David Poulter stated: “There is no habitat suitable for red squirrels on the Blaengwen wind farm site.”

South Wales Evening Post

26 March 2008

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon