November 10, 2011
England

Airbus are objecting to plans to build a Windfarm in Frodsham

by Rachel Flint, Flintshire Chronicle, www.flintshirechronicle.co.uk 10 November 2011

Airbus are objecting to plans to build 19 80-metre turbines on Frodsham Marshes, off the M56, which they say will cause an ‘unacceptable safety risk’ to their operations.

Despite a deal being reached between Peel Energy and Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Airbus in Hawarden are continuing to object to the Frodsham Windfarm application.

In a statement of objection posted on the public inquiry website air traffic controller Barry Hawkins said that the turbines could reflect the radar signals creating ‘clutter’ or be mistaken for aircraft leading to confusion and jeopardising the safety of their operations.

“The consequences of these two effects are that in the first instance, aircraft in the vicinity of the wind turbines may disappear off the radar out of view of the controller,” said Mr Hawkins.

“In the second instance, false targets are generated that appear as an aircraft (a false track) that may be in conflict with other real aircraft, thus resulting in unnecessary avoiding action.”

Mr Hawkins said there was currently an ‘absence of tangible evidence’ that the developer had accounted for the ‘risk and safety implications’ and called on Peel Energy to give Hawarden control of any solution to the clutter problem, and assure them that the turbines would be switched off if back-up radar fails at any time.

“On the current evidence, no adequate mitigation has been offered and there remains an unacceptable safety risk because the objective-based analysis has not yet been carried out,” he said.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/11/10/airbus-are-objecting-to-plans-to-build-a-windfarm-in-frodsham/