Blow out: Donald Trump says wind farm plan would destroy pristine Scottish countryside forever
Credit: By Lawrence Conway, Daily Mail, www.dailymail.co.uk 18 April 2012 ~~
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Donald Trump, the American property tycoon, has described plans to create a new wind farm off the Scottish coast as ‘financial suicide’.
He made the damning claims in a submission to a Scottish parliamentary committee looking into the proposals for 11 giant turbines off the Aberdeenshire coast.
Mr Trump said: ‘Your pristine countryside and coastlines will forever be destroyed and Scotland will go broke.’
He added that building ‘these industrial monstrosities’ would ‘completely end’ tourism in the country.
Mr Trump has previously raised fears the wind farm would spoil the view from his new £750million golfing resort in Aberdeenshire.
Work has been suspended on the luxury development near Menie, north of Aberdeen, because of the offshore wind farm threat.
He said: ‘If I had known about the current wind turbine proposals, I would never have built in Scotland.’
Mr Trump is next due to appear in person before MSPs next week to further push his case.
Despite his concern a second written submission said there should be a ‘major shift’ in energy policy towards offshore wind farms.
Ramblers Scotland said in a written submission to Holyrood’s Energy Committee that there was too much focus on land-based wind farms.
The submission said: ‘Government policy is focusing too much on supporting renewable electricity generation through one technology – large-scale, land-based wind turbine developments.
‘We believe that the present situation is seriously threatening Scotland’s reputation as a country with world-famous natural beauty.
‘This is likely to significantly diminish the numbers of people who choose to come to Scotland to enjoy our scenery and outdoor recreation opportunities.’
The debate follows the Scottish Government giving the go-ahead on April 4 to a massive wind farm on the Shetland Islands.
The Viking Project, will have 103 giant turbines that could provide electricity for 175,000 homes – despite Shetland only having a population of 22,000.
The approval to create the third biggest wind farm in Scotland could also see the construction of a £500million cable to plug the islands into the National Grid for the first time.
However, opponents warned of an ‘unimaginable’ impact on world-renowned landscape, with the £566million development set to dominate the moors and hills.
The turbines will be up to 475ft tall – more than twice the height of the Wallace Monument.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said rare species such as whimbrels and red throated divers could be at risk.
In February, more than 300 people marched through Lerwick to protest at the plans, while 2,500 residents signed a petition opposing the project.
But ministers gave the go-ahead, with the wind farm crucial to their election promise to generate 100 per cent of Scotland’s electricity needs through renewables by 2020.
The wind farm is the 50th renewable energy project approved by ministers since May 2007.
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