September 11, 2014
England

Concerns over wind farm plan as work starts on 13 turbines

By Paul Grinnell | Peterborough Telegraph | 11 September 2014 | www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk

Thursday, 7.20am: Concerns have been voiced over the benefits of a wind farm that is being built on the edge of Peterborough.

Renewable energy firm RES has started work on the construction of 13-turbines, each 100 metre high, on former farmland.

The complex will be created from two sites near the village of Thorney, which have separately secured planning approval as wind farms.

RES is combining plans to put up six wind turbines at Wryde Croft with seven turbines proposed for the Nutsgrove.

The firm intends to create the Wryde Croft Wind Farm, north east of Thorney. Construction work is expected to take 15 months to complete.

An RES spokeswoman said: “Combining the adjacent sites into one project will help to reduce the impact on local communities and the environment during construction.

The wind farm will have a capacity of 26 megawatt and means the Wryde Croft Wind Farm could generate enough electricity each year to meet the average needs of more than 13,000 homes.

She added: “Once the wind farm is generating electricity, it will provide a community benefits package of £130,000 per year.

The benefits will be made up of a Community Benefit Fund to support local charitable projects and RES’ Local Electricity Discount Scheme, which offers nearest neighbours an annual discount of at least £100 per year off their electricity bills.

But Peterborough MP Stewart Jackson said: “I remain unconvinced of the so-called community benefits.

He added: “Onshore wind is a racket involving taxpayer subsidies and a direct impact on the bills of the poorest consumers.

“This will mean the landscape will be permanently altered.”

Mr Jackson is opposed to Peterborough City Council plans to build wind turbines on farmland near Newborough and Thorney. He said the RES scheme had been through the planning process and could not be overturned.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/09/11/concerns-over-wind-farm-plan-as-work-starts-on-13-turbines/