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Fears over more windfarms
Wednesday 20th February 2008, 6:59PM GMT.
Hundreds of wind turbines could be built in Mid Wales, despite fears Powys is becoming one great windfarm.
Up to 15 applications for windfarms in Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire are due to be submitted to Powys County Council, the local planning authority, within the next few months – with many expected to be approved under Government guidance.
But campaigners fear they will have a devastating impact on the countryside.
Glyn Davies, former Mid and West Wales AM and prospective parliamentary candidate for Montgomeryshire, said: “The landscape brings joy and wonder to many of those who share my good fortune, and the many thousands who come to share it with us in their leisure time.
“I could live with one or two wind farms – but 15, on top of what’s here already? Personally, I do not blame landowners for maximising income from their property – they have a responsibility to their families.
“Responsibility falls entirely on the Governments, who have ignored the development of other renewable energy sources, and failed to address the approaching energy gap.
“Governments have failed us and the only pathetic, doomed-to-fail response today’s Government can come up with is one which desecrates this beautiful corner of the planet Earth.”
A Powys County Council spokesman said: “There are three strategic wind farm search areas affecting Powys, two are wholly in the county, Carno North and Newtown South.
“The council has received only one application, the Llanbadarn project, althou-gh it is anticipating further applications for Carno Nor-th and Newtown South.”
Acciona Energy UK wants to construct 23 turbines at Waun Garno windfarm, near Trefeglwys, and Mynydd Y Cemmaes, near Cemmaes.
The firm is due to submit applications shortly.
Senior development manager Mike Paffey said: “The projects will help meet Wales’s need for sustainable energy and will not have a lasting impact on the landscape.”
Exhibitions for the Waun Garno project will be held at Trefeglwys Memorial Hall on Monday and at Carno Community Centre on Wednesday, both 2-7pm.
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out to sea is the place for these monsters
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Have you noticed – there has been almost NO WIND for over a week due to the static high pressure area over the southern UK.
I am glad we don’t have to rely on windmills for our power.
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Monsters?? Are you mad?? What is ugly about a wind turbine?? Have you ever even seen one – you must be mad, these elegant structures are the future of UK energy, go and turn your lights off you NIMBY Luddite, you have no right to electricity, go and live in the third world and hand pump your water, you can have all the nice views you like there
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Would you prefere a nuclear power station on your doorstep instead??
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Brilliant idea !!!!
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These monsters are ruining beautiful, natural landscapes and all to give energy companies vast profits – they receive approx a quarter of a million pounds as a subsidy on each turbine, each year and every year! . They do not work three quarters of the time and this makes the electricity they do produce very very expensive.
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Yes I would prefer a nuclear power station! At least it would provide a decent amount of reliable and continuous electricity. You would need around 1000 very large turbines (over 400 feet) to produce the same amount of electricity as one medium sized nuclear power station. And of course what happens when the wind doesn’t blow? The turbines around here have all been completely stationary for the past week or so and now the wind is blowing so hard it is too windy for them! We still need conventional power stations to keep the lights on and you can’t just turn them on and off at will. Also bear in mind that those 1000 wind turbines will cover vast areas and will need appropriate infrastructure such as access roads, substations and many, many pylons to connect them to the grid. Huge areas of forestry and peat are often destroyed in this attempt to combat global warming – I thought that both were very effective stores or converters of CO2!! The only thing they successfully generate is large amounts of cash (from indirect subsidies) for the land owners and power companies!
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