Outrage over wind farm development cash 

Carrick wind farm protestors received support from a European MP last week as a plea was put forward during a debate in Strasbourg.

In an unfolding financial scandal the excessive funding of one billion euros worth of European Funding for windfarms in the UK has to be switched off.

That was the call from Scottish Euro MP Struan Stevenson in a debate in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, during which he told the president of the European Investment Bank, Philippe Maystadt, that the funding of industrial developments should no longer be supported.

Mr Stevenson said the EIB should not remain behind the “unfolding financial scandal”.

“The EIB is providing up to one billion euros for the construction of wind turbines and other renewable energy projects in th UK,” said Mr Stevenson in the debate on EIB’s annual report.

“While this fits neatly within the EU strategy to fight against climate change, I am alarmed that the current criteria governing EIB funding lacks transparency and accountability when it comes to examination and due dilligence of the projects concerned.

“Six billion euros is being provided for wind farm developments across the EU according to Mr Maystadt. But the EIB simply accepts the application for funding from the governments concerned without scrutiny. I do not think this is good enough.

“Renewable energy companies in the UK claim that their turbines have a load factor of 30 percent. In fact, over the whole of last year, their load factor was 21 per cent.

“They do not work when the weather is coldest and the demand for electricity is at its peak. They are not economically viable and will double or triple electricity prices for consumers while failing to cut CO2 emissions. This is an unfolding scandal and the EIB should stop funding wind energy projects.”

In his reply to the debate the EIB president said: “We can only fund a project after it has been given the green light by the European Commission, which conducts full scrutiny of every project.

“We employ over 100 engineers and specialist consultants who are experts in energy efficiency and this is expertise we must exploit.”

And one local hotel owner has further backed their belief that enough is enough where wind farms are concerned.

They asked: “As a politician, do you want to be remembered for being part of this? Have you done your homework and researched the facts or are you just burying your head in the sand and following the party line?

“The parties have just released their manifestos and we see both Labour and the SNP favour wind energy, even though it’s not economical or wanted.

“Even the Greens have stopped shouting about ‘free green energy’ as it’s certainly neither free nor green.

“One argument put forward by the government and energy companies is that communiti benefit from the jobs provided and money to invest in local projects.

“This is a fallacy as most energy companies bring in their own workforce and once complete the wind farms require little man power. And if areas of Scotland become wind turbine industrial wastelands there will be no tourism to provide jobs for anyone. Remember tourism is everyone’s business and the knock on effects of destroying it are far reaching.”