Wind Watch: Industrial Wind Energy News
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Plain wrong: 150 residents meet to air opposition to Coonerang Wind Farm site
“It’s not about climate change.” The more than 150 locals who attended a public meeting in Cooma on 17 May to voice opposition to the development of a wind farm south of the town were assured the protest was not about climate change. It was about a wind farm being sited in an inappropriate location. The meeting was called by REAL Monaro, an entity that supports renewable-energy initiatives, but is fighting to preserve the iconic Monaro Treeless Plains, which feature . . . Complete story »
Proponent of Robbins Island wind farm asked to detail plan to offset loss of Tasmanian devil habitat
Renewables company ACEN Australia is seeking to build a wind farm with up to 122 turbines on Robbins Island, off the state’s north-west coast. The proposal has already been given the go-ahead by Tasmania’s Environment Protection Authority and has also received the green light from the local council. But the project still needs approval from the federal Environment Department, which has requested ACEN provide “an offset strategy and offset management plan to compensate for the loss of up to 366.2 . . . Complete story »
Enel suspends Colombia wind farm construction after years of protests
The Colombian unit of Italy’s biggest utility, Enel, indefinitely suspended the construction of a wind farm in Colombia’s north on Wednesday after a series of protests by local communities. The decision comes two weeks after Enel reached an agreement with the communities to allow development to proceed normally after three years of delays. Located in the municipalities of Maicao and Uribia in Colombia’s La Guajira department on the border with Venezuela, the Windpeshi Wind Farm project was slated to generate . . . Complete story »
Criminal cases for killing eagles decline as wind turbine dangers grow
Criminal cases brought by U.S. wildlife officials for killing or harming protected bald and golden eagles dropped sharply in recent years, even as officials ramped up issuing permits that will allow wind energy companies to kill thousands of eagles without legal consequence. The falloff in enforcement of eagle protection laws – which has accelerated under President Joe Biden – was revealed in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service data obtained by The Associated Press. It comes amid growing concern that a proliferation of . . . Complete story »
Brazil faces dilemma: endangered macaw vs. wind farm
A wind farm in northeastern Brazil sounds like a welcome climate-friendly energy solution, but it is causing controversy over another kind of environmental worry: the impact on the endangered Lear’s macaw. Home to more than 90 percent of Brazil’s booming wind-power industry, the northeast is known for strong, steady winds that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants to harness to power a green-energy revolution. The region has drawn the interest of French renewable energy company Voltalia, which broke ground . . . Complete story »
Equinor pulls the plug on North Sea floating wind farm
Siri Espedal Kindem sees no way forward for Trollvind floating offshore wind farm. Equinor said today that it will postpone any further development of the Trollvind floating offshore wind farm initiative indefinitely. “This decision is based on several challenges facing the project, including technology availability, rising cost and a strained timetable to deliver on the original concept.” said the state-owned energy company. “The authorities have been informed about the decision.” Equinor had previously announced reduced activity on the project, citing . . . Complete story »
Wind energy development in Tama Co. hits turbulence; Multiple lawsuits embroil Salt Creek developers
Further wind development in Tama County appears to have encountered some headwinds in recent weeks as two different lawsuits involving the wind energy company Salt Creek Wind LLC and its consultants Robert and Eric Bergstrom play out in court. Salt Creek Wind LLC and Conifer Power Co. have been actively developing the current iteration of the Salt Creek Wind project in central Tama County since at least 2019. According to court documents filed in Tama County in late April of . . . Complete story »
In-depth: ‘It’s criminal’: Central Wisconsin communities unite to stave off looming wind turbine industry
Central Wisconsin communities are coordinating efforts to shine a light into the flickering shadow cast by a looming wind turbine industry. “There is a revolt happening here,” attorney Marti Machtan told The Epoch Times. “I’ve never seen our communities engage like this in my life.” Machtan is a member of Farmland First, an organization that aims to facilitate discussion among community members concerned about reported coercive, predatory tactics used by industrial wind companies to manipulate landowners into signing their property . . . Complete story »
‘Not looking good’: Wind turbines a threat to Canadian bat populations
A species of bats could have their numbers cut in half by 2028 if they’re not protected immediately, says a bat expert. Dr. Cori Lausen comment comes after the Commitee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada released a an assessment May 10 regarding three species of bats: the eastern red, hoary and silver-haired.All three bat species have declined dramatically in recent years and the committee assessed each of them as “endangered.” The three species fly at night and . . . Complete story »
Rural Spanish villages to be ‘destroyed’ with wind turbines in push for green energy
In the remote mountains of Spain’s Maestrazgo region, Joaquín Gargallo wrestles with the steering wheel of his battered Land Rover as it plunges down a winding track. “The Communist maquis resisted the Franco regime in these hills longer than anywhere else. Now these foreign investors are going to destroy the landscape and my livelihood with their giant wind turbines and we won’t even get a say in the matter,” said Mr Gargallo, a farmer who ekes out a living breeding . . . Complete story »
