Wind Power News: Complaints
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.
Energy companies accused of bid rigging and racketeering in US lawsuit
A cybersecurity company filed a $110m lawsuit in New York this week, accusing the Spanish global energy company Iberdrola and its US subsidiary Avangrid of bid rigging and racketeering. The 72-page federal court complaint outlines an elaborate scheme by Iberdrola executives to generate millions of dollars in wasteful equipment expenditures in order to turn a profit from its utility customers in New York, Connecticut and Maine. The lawsuit further alleges that much of this equipment was never put to use . . . Complete story »
Early review of South Fork Wind Farm project found power shortfalls during peak summer periods
LIPA in 2017 decided to move ahead with the South Fork Wind Farm project despite internal findings that its ability to produce energy during critical summer-peak times would be limited to around half the days it was needed, according to a confidential review done for LIPA. A copy of that review released earlier this year as part of a lawsuit filed by a ratepayer says even with the wind-farm operating, there’d still be power shortfalls on 77 of the 152 . . . Complete story »
Watermen, elected officials meet over offshore conflict; Commercial fisherman’s conch pots destroyed by wind farm survey boat
OCEAN CITY – There was a brief confrontation last week between a local commercial fishing boat and an offshore wind survey vessel, which ran afoul of the fishing boat’s gear, resulting in a meeting this week with elected officials. Last week, a US Wind vessel surveying offshore was outside the designated lease area and ran through a setup of conch pots and destroyed some of the commercial vessel’s equipment. Captain Jimmy Hahn, whose conch pots were destroyed, briefly confronted the survey . . . Complete story »
French couple who said windfarm affected health win legal fight
A French court has recognised “turbine syndrome” after a couple complained their health was damaged by living near a windfarm. In what is believed to be the first judgment of its kind in France, Belgians Christel and Luc Fockaert were awarded more than €100,000 in compensation by the judge in Toulouse. The couple claimed they experienced a range of health problems including headaches, insomnia, heart irregularities, depression, dizziness, tinnitus and nausea for more than two years, insisting these were caused . . . Complete story »
Eoliennes. La cour d’appel de Toulouse reconnaît les nuisances et l’impact sur la santé
[Toulouse appeals court recognizes wind turbine noise and flashing and their impact on health, orders companies to pay couple 110,000 euros.] En condamnant deux sociétés gestionnaires d’un parc éolien, la cour d’appel de Toulouse reconnaît l’existence de nuisances anormales pour le voisinage et leur impact sur la santé. La décision est inédite. Le 8 juillet dernier, la cour d’appel de Toulouse cassait un jugement du tribunal judiciaire de Castres et condamnait deux sociétés gestionnaires d’un parc éolien a indemniser un . . . Complete story »
They’re always there
Tarwin Lower farmers and neighbours of the 52-turbine Bald Hills Wind Farm, John and Stuart Kilsby, just want to get on with it. Which is why they agreed to settle their dispute with the owner/operators of the wind farm, the Infrastructure Capital Group, before it went to court. But with seven of the noisy, white, 126-metre high monstrosities strung out along their fence line to the east and south of their generations-old family farm on Walkerville Road, and another eight . . . Complete story »
Bald Hills Wind Farm cover-up exposed
It’s a wind farm, not a mushroom farm. But as the Supreme Court of Victoria heard last week, that old adage about keeping them in the dark and feeding them on horse manure, certainly applies to the relationship between the operators of the Bald Hills Wind Farm and neighbouring farmers. What can only be described as an extensive cover-up to hide such things as evidence of the highly irritating noise coming from faulty turbine gearboxes, came to light during a . . . Complete story »
Neighbours suing Gippsland wind farm in Supreme Court over ‘excessive noise’
The operator of a Victorian wind farm being sued by neighbours for allegedly emitting excessive noise says its turbines have a mechanical issue which create a distinctive sound. Two neighbours of the Bald Hills wind farm at Tarwin Lower in Gippsland, John Zakula and Noel Uren, are seeking civil damages in the Victorian Supreme Court. They claim the noise is excessive and they also want the wind turbines turned down or off at certain times. The court was told that . . . Complete story »
Councillors reject proposal for wind farms 500 metres from homes in Laois
Councillors in Laois rejected a council management proposal to scrap the existing 1.5kilometre set back distance of wind turbines from homes, and instead reduce the distance to 500 metres. The issue came up for discussion during the meeting on the County’s Chief Executive’s report on the draft Laois County Development Plan 2021-2027 on Wednesday 1 September. After the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) had studied the draft plan it recommended that a section of the plan should be amended . . . Complete story »
Oregon farmers allege violations at wind turbine project
Several farmers have complained to Oregon energy regulators that wind turbine construction in Sherman County has caused severe erosion and other problems. A letter from 11 farmers to the state’s Energy Facility Siting Council alleges that developer Avangrid Renewables has failed to comply with requirements for building the Golden Hills Wind Project, which will include up to 51 turbines on 29,500 acres. “We’ve lost more soil in the last two months than we have in 30 years,” said David Pinkerton, . . . Complete story »
