January 14, 2014
Scotland

Planned Angus windfarm ‘twice as big as Dundee’

By Martin Flynn | Evening Telegraph | 14 January 2014 | www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk

A windfarm planned for the Angus coastline would cover an area more than double the size of Dundee.

New documents showed that the full development would occupy an area of 150 square kilometres.

The proposed site would take up the same space as just over 21,000 football pitches.

The vast array of turbines – potentially up to 213 – would provide almost 10% of Scotland’s energy needs.

At its nearest point to the coastline the windfarm would be 15km out, stretching out to 22km away from the land.

Inch Cape Offshore Ltd has the rights to build and run a farm involving up to 213 turbines, with a minimum height of 152 metres and a maximum height to tip of 215 metres.

At this stage the design in terms of turbine height, numbers and layout cannot be fully established.

But regardless of how many there are, the plans state that the minimum spacing between the turbines will be 820m. The “operational life” of the wind farm is proposed to be 25 years at least.

But a report from Angus Council – submitted to the Scottish Government – has raised questions about the plans.

In it, council director of planning and place Vivien Smith asked Marine Scotland, which represents Scottish ministers, to look further into the likely effects of the scheme.

The report also included concerns about how lighting on the turbines could affect aircraft.

Ms Smith said: “It is suggested Marine Scotland requires further assessment of impact on seascape character to take particular account of the Bell Rock and any lighting required for aviation/shipping safeguarding.”

Ms Smith said: “There does seem to be uncertainty about the specification of lighting – for either steady red or simultaneous ‘W’ Morse code.

“The effect of this would mean the impact arising from aviation lighting at night is predicted to be of major significance for much of the Angus coast.

“It is therefore considered the night seascape impacts could be significant. The use of infrared aviation lights which are not visible to the naked eye would successfully mitigate this impact.”


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/01/14/planned-angus-windfarm-twice-as-big-as-dundee/