Wind Power News: Europe
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Opposition to wind turbines on the rise
People strongly objecting to 150m turbines in an area along the Cork/Kerry border have been collecting expert evidence which must be submitted to An Bord Pleanála before the deadline in the latest planning appeal expires today (July 24). The Sliabh Luachra Windfarm Awareness Group is opposing plans by Silver Birch Renewables Ltd to erect 14 turbines in several holdings in Gneeveguilla and Ballydesmond. The company is appealing against a Kerry County Council decision to refuse planning. Government policy is to . . .
SSE forced to fix defects in wind turbine foundations
Energy company SSE has discovered problems with the concrete foundations of as many as 50 wind turbines in Ireland, according to a report. Planning documents filed in Northern Ireland reveal that remedial work needs to be carried out at an SSE wind farm in Tyrone to improve safety and stop further deterioration. “Regular site inspections have identified defects in the concrete that forms the foundations on all turbine bases,” the documents filed with Fermanagh and Omagh district council state. “While . . .
Dounreay Tri floating wind farm in doubt as developer collapses
Plans for a floating windfarm demonstrator 3.7 miles off Dounreay in Caithness are in disarray after the developer’s collapse into administration. Dounreay Tri – the company formed by Sweden-based green-energy investor Hexicon for the project – applied for planning permission for the twin-turbine, 10 megawatt (MW) scheme last November. Highland councillors backed the plans in February and the Scottish Government followed suit in March. Melvich Community Council had objected to the scheme, saying the turbines would ruin the sea view . . .
Drop in wind energy costs adds pressure for government rethink
Onshore windfarms could be built in the UK for the same cost as new gas power stations and would be nearly half as expensive as the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, according to a leading engineering consultant. Arup found that the technology has become so cheap that developers could deliver turbines for a guaranteed price of power so low that it would be effectively subsidy-free in terms of the impact on household energy bills. France’s EDF was awarded a contract . . .
‘Cheated and very frustrated’ – Organisation of wind farm meeting leaves Necton residents angry
Residents say they have been left feeling frustrated and excluded after a workshop that was intended to give an update on how plans for two of Norfolk’s largest wind farm projects would impact their village. Vattenfall hosted the invite-only workshop in Necton on Wednesday, July 19, to show four potential site options for an electrical substation and on the following day they held an open meeting to show the public the information they had gathered. The meetings took place one . . .
Developer succeeds in reversing planning refusal for wind farm
An England-based wind energy developer has successfully overturned a decision to refuse planning permission for three new turbines near Killeter. It comes just two months after Doreen Walker, a Jamaican national based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, successfully overturned a bid to erect five turbines in the Scraghey area near the Donegal border. The wind energy entrepreneur had spent more than a decade seeking planning permission for the Altgolan Wind Farm before it was eventually secured at the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) . . .
‘Wind turbines can impact human and animal health’ says noise boffin speaking in NI
A low frequency noise boffin is speaking in Co Tyrone about the possible impact of wind turbines on people’s health. Professor Mariana Alves-Pereira is a specialist in biological responses to infrasound and low frequency noise. Her research in Portugal found that a family living near turbines had impaired brain function, while control of their breathing was also affected. Subsidies for green energy sources have seen Northern Ireland covered in wind turbines in the last decade. Professor Alves-Pereira said: “Our research . . .
Better to ask forgiveness than permission: Bulgaria to ban new construction on Cape Kaliakra
Bulgaria’s Environment Minister Neno Dimov said on July 21 that the country has reached a settlement with the European Commission in relation to a conservation lawsuit that Bulgaria lost in the European Court of Justice. In its January 2016 ruling, the court found that Bulgaria failed to protect unique habitats and important species in the Kaliakra special protection area at the Black Sea coast. The settlement, which Dimov presented to mayors of municipalities in the protected area, was described by . . .
Scale of community windfall questioned
Windfarm bosses have insisted that a multi-million pound windfarm off the coast of Caithness will be a boon in terms of jobs and money. They have failed, however, to convince a local economist who instantly accused them of exaggerating their claims. Scottish Southern Energy (SSE) and its partners insist the “social return” from the 84-turbine Beatrice project will mean significant job creation and a substantial injection of hard cash for local projects. Based on fresh analysis and economic modelling by . . .
Court overturns permission for Wexford wind farm
High Court orders quashing An Bord Pleanála’s permission for a wind farm in Co Wexford have been secured by a number of local residents. The residents’ legal costs will also be paid by the board under the settlement of their case. On consent of the board, Mr Justice Charles Meenan this week granted orders quashing its approval for a development of three wind turbines and an electricity substation at Tominearly and Killegney, Clonroche, Co Wexford. The proceedings were also brought . . .
