August 7, 2012
Scotland

Donald Trump lambasts ‘ugly, inefficient’ wind farms after plans emerge to increase size of Menie turbines

By FRANK URQUHART | www.scotsman.com 7 August 2012

Donald Trump has launched a fresh tirade against the “monstrous” wind farm he claims is threatening his future Scottish investment plans after the consortium behind the renewable energy development announced proposals to increase both the height and radius of the turbines.

Swedish electricity giant Vattenfall, which is spearheading the controversial plans for the 11-turbine European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre, close to the Menie estate golf resort in Aberdeenshire, has submitted fresh proposals to the Scottish Government to raise the maximum height of the turbines from 640 to 651 ft and the radius of the blades from 247 ft to 282ft.

The consortium behind the £230 million development said the application to increase the height and size of the turbines was designed to meet the need to test the very latest turbine models being developed by a number of leading global renewable energy companies.

But Mr Trump condemned the plans which he claimed would destroy the “majestic beauty” of the area.

He said: “My project is a far greater development in terms of jobs, pounds spent and potential revenues to the area than the ugly, inefficient turbines contemplated in the Vattenfall proposal.

“Alex Salmond must have a death wish. Other countries throughout the world are abandoning wind turbine projects and not building previously approved structures because the economics just don’t work. Without subsidies from England, Scotland would not be able to sustain his folly.”

He continued: “We intend to fight this application and defeat these horrendous proposals that will ultimately destroy Scotland. As the many accolades about my course in Scotland continue to accumulate, the battle against these abominations has become even more urgent. We will do whatever is necessary to permanently end what has become the irrational obsession of a failing government that has lost all credibility because it has no viable economic game plan for its future other than “ wind turbines.”

Iain Todd, the project spokesman for the EOWDC, defended the plans to alter the scale of the turbines. He said: “The turbines are visible from the shore – we have always said that. But we don’t think it’s a huge visual impact.

“There is visual impact. You will see them from the shore. But we think it’s acceptable.”

He added: “The Scottish Government will be weighing up the massive economic potential of having an offshore wind test centre in our country and the fact that there will some visual impact from the coast in Aberdeen.”


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/08/07/donald-trump-lambasts-ugly-inefficient-wind-farms-after-plans-emerge-to-increase-size-of-menie-turbines/