November 22, 2012
England

Conisholme wind farm expansion plan blown out

Grimsby Telegraph | November 22, 2012 | www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk

Renewable energy bosses have pulled out of plans to extend their wind farm in Conisholme.

Anti-wind farm campaigners have been on guard for an extension to be planned for the 20-turbine site since it was built in the small village in 2008.

Their fears were made worse when the firm in charge of the site, Ecotricity, applied to East Lindsey District Council to have a scoping exercise at the site to extend the farm by five wind turbines in 2010.

But they have since confirmed they have no “immediate plans” to extend the Fen Farm site – although campaigners remain sceptical.

Chair of the newly-formed Marsh Windfarm Action Group, Melvin Grosvenor, believes as wind farm technology and the demand for renewable energy changes, so will the farm, which is home to 20 84-metre turbines.

Mr Grosvenor said: “All I would say is wait and see what happens.

“What they say and what they do don’t always transpire. Of course, it would be good if they aren’t ever going to extend the farm, but I still feel those wind turbines are likely to need to be re-powered eventually, as has happened elsewhere in the country.

“The turbines at Conisholme are relatively small compared to the turbines that are built today. They produce less than one megawatt of power, whereas the ones that get put up now generate anywhere between two and three megawatts. Why would they stick with these smaller turbines?”

Mr Grosvenor’s comments come as campaigners gear themselves up for another action meeting at Tetney Village Hall on Saturday, December 1, from 10.30am.

Not only will they discuss ASC’s application for eight 115-metre turbines on Bishopthorpe Farm, called Newton Marsh Extension, but they will put an action plan together over Partnership for Renewal’s application for three 113-metre turbines along Louth Canal.

Mr Grosvenor said: “The more applications that come in and the more I hear about what is going on in the Marsh villages, it makes me more determined for the group to succeed.

“For me, it is very frustrating because I have only just started digging into the wind farm situation in this area and I am discovering all this stuff that we need to know and consider.

“It is an absolute tragedy this work has not been done before but I think after the Conisholme farm got through, locals thought they haven’t got a cat in hell’s chance of fighting them off. But they have, I am sure we can do this.”

Ecotricity admits they carried out a scoping exercise for five more turbines at the Fen Farm site in 2010 but says it has decided not to progress the application.

A spokesperson said: “We do scoping exercises at any number of sites every year but at the moment there are no plans to progress an extension at the site.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/11/22/conisholme-wind-farm-expansion-plan-blown-out/