Critics say the wind turbines would endanger local birds of prey, including eagles that are already at risk of extinction | Zafrir Rinat | Haaretz | Jun 21, 2017 | www.haaretz.com
A government committee has given the go-ahead to build a wind farm on the Golan Heights over the objections of environmentalists who warn that the turbines will pose a serious threat to the region’s birds of prey, particularly eagles that are at risk of extinction.
The plan, the initiative of an Israeli company, Enlight Renewable Energy, is currently at the stage of receiving input from the public. It was opposed both by environment experts on the National Infrastructure Committee, which approved the decision, and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.
The project calls for 41 wind turbines to be built in the Tel Fares area in the central Golan Heights. The turbines will be 150 meters tall and have a total production capacity of 100 megawatts, around a quarter the capacity of a medium-sized power plant, like Tel Aviv’s Reading Power Station. The farm will cover an area of 15,000 dunams (15 square kilometers) and will be connected to the national grid by a high-tension line.
Experts who reviewed the plan differed in their assessment of the turbine farm’s environmental impact. The landscape architect advising the committee opposed the farm because of its detrimental effect on the landscape. On the other hand, the head of the committee’s environmental team, Eyal Kleider, said that the need for renewable energy sources could justify the construction of the turbines.
Area residents also support the plan because Enlight will be paying a significant sum of money to lease the agricultural lands on which the turbines are to be erected.
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2017/06/21/despite-fears-of-harming-birds-plan-for-israeli-wind-farm-moves-forward/