Wind Power News: March 2008
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Deadline extended for wind park study comments
CENTERVILLE – The deadline for comments on a draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Noble Allegany Wind Park power generation project has been extended. The new deadline on the 67-turbine project in the Allegany County towns of Centerville and Rushford is April 17. The Connecticut-based Noble Environmental Power hopes to add the facility to its array that includes five proposed or electrified projects in northern New York and one each in Michigan, Vermont and New Hampshire. Noble has just powered . . . Complete story »
Huntington turbine faces visual challenge
The wind tower above Huntington Center could be an eyesore or a beacon of hope in the eyes of its beholders. If they give it a second glance. Seen from town, the 120-foot tower, without its turbine and blades, measures roughly the size of a small paper clip held at arm’s length. Detractors say that’s enough to scuttle the skyline’s charms. Proponents beg to differ. The Vermont Public Service Board, a neutral arbiter of aesthetics, has ruled twice against the . . . Complete story »
Protesters' hope on wind farm plan
Campaigners battling plans for a wind farm in countryside near Sheffield are now relying on the Government to turn it down. Plans for the three 95m wind turbines on land at Loscar Farm, Harthill, will now be considered by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The plans have already been considered by Rotherham Council, which has indicated that if the Govern-ment decides not to intervene it is likely to approve the proposals. The Department has 28 days to decide . . . Complete story »
Wind farm 'no go' law proposal rejected
The Scottish Government has ruled out a change in law which would have protected some of the country’s most picturesque areas from a “barrage” of wind farm applications. Politicians including Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser had demanded the introduction of a law which would have created “no go” areas for wind farm developments. He insists the legislation would have protected some of Scotland’s most beautiful areas, including huge swathes of rural Perthshire in his constituency. Numerous campaign groups . . . Complete story »
Chancellor's £40million energy raid
Westminster will plunder nearly £40million a year in “windfall” profits from Scotland’s renewable energy industry. In a move similar to the one which saw billions of revenue from Scottish oil fields diverted to London, the Crown Estate will levy a “stealth tax” for every megawatt generated offshore. It will also demand onshore power stations pay for grid connections and carbon capture facilities. And the Estate will charge green energy firms rent for wind and wave turbine sites and for the . . . Complete story »
Wind farm appeals will cost thousands
Taxpayers in a Northumberland borough could be forced to pick up a bill totalling hundreds of thousands of pounds following their local authority’s refusal of wind farm applications. Berwick Borough Council refused three proposals on Thursday and was immediately faced with the prospect of developers challenging its decisions – with one having already confirmed that will happen. Appeals could result in public inquiries at which the council would be expected to hire barristers and expert witnesses. There is also the . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine test go-ahead
The company planning to erect a huge wind turbine to the south of Garstang has been given the go-ahead for its preliminary plans to test wind speeds at the site. Before it goes ahead with the £1.7 million, 127 metre high, turbine scheme, Lancaster-based Wind Direct wants to test the wind speeds at the site next to the Dew-Lay factory, on the A6 between Garstang and Churchtown. To accurately measure the wind speeds, which will help determine the most suitable . . . Complete story »
Babcock & Brown plans to sell wind farms
Babcock & Brown, the Australian infrastructure investor, is planning to sell its European wind farms in a deal that could be worth between €3.5bn ($5.5bn) and €4bn. The group will say today that it has appointed Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan to sell its European wind energy assets and those owned by Babcock & Brown Wind Partners, its quoted wind energy fund. These include wind farms in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy and France. Babcock & Brown Wind Partners owns about 3,000MW . . . Complete story »
West Wind Energy has lodged its planning application for a wind farm at Lal Lal, south of Ballarat
If it is approved, it will be the company’s second wind farm on Ballarat’s outskirts, after its nearby Mount Mercer wind farm gained approval last year. A planning panel will now be set up and a decision may not be made until next year. Project manager Grant Flynn says the size of the Lal Lal proposal has been reduced from 79 turbines to 64 to take locals’ concerns into account. “Forty of those would be on the Yendon and 24 . . . Complete story »
Windmill petition fails in Harvard
Harvard residents may eventually have the chance to – as the Scottish folk singer Donovan put it – catch the wind. But not just yet. Voters at the annual town meeting yesterday rejected a citizen’s petition that would have allowed residents to erect wind turbines for individual use. The town’s planning board, however, plans to present a similar measure either by the fall or next spring. The board had been crafting a wind energy bylaw, but did not complete it in time . . . Complete story »
