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Wind Power News: U.K.
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational mission to provide information about industrial wind energy development to readers seeking such information. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the credited organizations or individuals and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law. The original articles, links to which are provided, may have additional links and photos and other media that were not included here.
‘Why we’re fighting against wind turbines that will be bigger than Blackpool Tower’
The Say NO to Scout Moor 2 group has objected to Cubico Sustainable Investments plan for ‘Scout Moor 2’ ever since they were first mooted back in 2024. Campaigners fear the turbines – up to 180m including blade tip height – would be larger than Blackpool Tower and dominate the skyline. The latest changes from Cubico have seen the scheme dropped from 17 wind turbines to 12. This reduction means that the proposed windfarm would only have the potential to . . . Complete story »
Borders councillors set to object to 200m wind turbines over golden eagle concerns
A proposed wind farm with blade heights twice the height of London’s Big Ben poses a risk to the Scottish Borders Golden Eagle population, councillors will be told next week. When members of the council’s Planning and Building Standards Committee meet on Monday, October 5, they will be recommended to raise a formal objection to the construction and operation of a wind farm comprising up to 13 turbines each with tips up to a maximum of 200m on land to . . . Complete story »
The new Highlands goldrush: Just how green is the industrial-scale wind turbine business?
The sun is out, the wind is light and visibility excellent, but I can’t head for the hills today, so, I lace up my trail shoes and go for a local run. My choice of route is obvious. A short section of tarmac leads to a wide, gravel road. I follow this up south facing slopes, with views opening up all the way. At the top I reach my local windfarm, one of two developments sitting side-by-side with 38 turbines . . . Complete story »
Turbine destroyed by fire at Whitelee Windfarm near Glasgow
A fire has devastated a turbine at the UK’s largest onshore windfarm, and a safety exclusion zone has been set up around the stricken structure. Pictures shared with The Herald show the turbine’s charred head, along with the blackened blades attached to the around 65-metre-tall hub. On Thursday, one of Whitelee Windfarm’s 215 turbines was engulfed in flames, leaving the burnt-out shell at the head of the structure. Scottish Power, which operates the site, said that a safety cordon is . . . Complete story »
Riding school facing closure over controversial wind farm plans is ‘lifeline’ for disabled children
A ‘lifeline’ riding school is facing closure following the approval of a wind farm in the Fylde. Earlier this week (September 12), plans for a wind farm in the Fylde were approved by the Planning Inspectorate – a decision locals have been waiting years to find out. The wind farm, dubbed the Morgan and Morecambe project, will generate enough energy to power two million homes, which will be produced from turbines set to be built in the Irish Sea. While . . . Complete story »
Olrig wind farm ‘will still completely dominate our landscape’ despite lower turbines
Opponents of a wind farm proposed for Olrig Hill have dismissed adjustments to the scheme as “cosmetic changes” and claimed that it will still “completely dominate” the landscape. As well as concerns over the visual impact of the four turbines, despite a reduction in their size, fears persist that a battery energy storage system (BESS) represents “a major safety risk” for local residents. Renewable energy company Green Switch Capital announced this week that it was lowering the maximum tip height . . . Complete story »
Conservationists write postcard to every MSP over wind farm plans’ threat to seabirds
Conservationists have delivered postcards to every MSP at Holyrood warning them that a planned offshore wind farm could kill 4,000 seabirds every year. The Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick is warning that the Berwick Bank development could threaten thousands of seabirds each year. The charity has delivered 129 handwritten postcards, one for every MSP, to the Scottish Parliament. Fanny Royanez, policy and campaigns officer at the Seabird Centre, said: “These postcards and the sand art they display will be . . . Complete story »
£250 off bills – is it compensation or contempt for rural Scotland?
I’m not sure what planet the UK Government is orbiting with its insulting offer of £250 off electricity bills for ten years in exchange for households hosting vast new transmission infrastructure. This is not compensation – it is contempt. Peanuts for the peasants. Communities across rural Scotland are at the end of their tether, facing multiple applications, public inquiries, appeals, and re‑applications from developers who simply refuse to take “no” for an answer. Do they really believe a 10 per cent . . . Complete story »
Literally wiped off the map: the insult of the Pollie Hill consultation
Like many other readers, we received an invitation to the public “consultation” for the proposed Pollie Hill Wind Farm. Setting aside the somewhat short notice of this important meeting, what struck me most was the map of the proposed development illustrated on the card. It is a map of the outline of this seemingly innocuous development, which appears to be set in the middle of a great green – and utterly empty – landscape. On this map only Kildonan, Brora, . . . Complete story »
Strath and Glens ‘overwhelmed’ by scale of planned energy proposals
Whilst the outline draft plans for Invercassley’s 20-turbine wind farm have been known for some time, Fred Olsen, the developer, now proposes to press ahead with them (The Northern Times, August 14.), the site put forward being just north of Rosehall village on Balnagowan estate land owned by the Al Fayed family. Rosehall already has its fair share of turbines with the 38 between the Rosehall and Achany wind farms. When Fred Olsen put on its public displays in Rosehall . . . Complete story »
