May 22, 2014
Scotland

Wind farm advert must be changed

The Berwickshire News | 22 May 2014 | www.berwickshirenews.co.uk

Rumbleton Rig wind farm developers have been told by the Advertising Standards Agency to change their advert for the proposed development near Greenlaw.

Seven complaints were made to the ASA about the claims being made by the company in their promotional material for the wind farm, one of which has been upheld.

After completing their investigation the ASA’s decision was: “The ad must not appear in its current form. We told TCI Renewables Ltd not to claim that the scheme would be environmentally beneficial without making clear that this was based on estimates.

TCI Renewables claim that wind turbines generally become energy neutral after operating for a few months, turning mor energy back than they consumed could not be substantiated, the ASA concluding: “We considered it was not possible to be certain that the overall carbon footprint would be reduced and that the claim could not be substantiated.”

This is the second time the ASA has been involved in adjudicating whether material being presented to the public about the potential impact of this particular wind farm is accurate.

In September last year TCI Renewables successfully challenged information produced in a leaflet by local action group (AGHAST) opposing the wind farm. The group were forced to halt distribution of their leaflets because there was insufficient evidence to support the link it made between wind farms and health issues and that some properties may become unsellable as a result of nearby wind farms.

This time around it was TCI’s claims being challenged and the wind farm company having to change its publicity material.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/05/22/wind-farm-advert-must-be-changed/