Concerns over bids for more wind turbines

Friday 13th November 2009, 10:03AM GMT.

Campaigners fear more than 1,000 wind turbines could be built across Powys as more planning applications are set to flood in.

Protesters fear they will have a devastating impact on the countryside and they say they intend to do all they can to prevent them from being built.

Stephen McKeown, of the campaigning group Cadwriaeth Ucheldir Powys, said 840 turbines were already headed for Mid Wales and he fears there will be hundreds more.

He said: “The 840 are just the ones we as a group know about, but there are more in the pipeline and the number will rise and could eventually exceed 1,000 turbines.

“Incidentally the new Government targets are for an additional 4,000 turbines throughout the UK and it is expected without speculation that many more of these will be headed for Mid Wales in addition to the 840 or so that are planned.”

He said a report commissioned by Powys County Council and the Welsh Assembly Government on windfarm access routes had already found the imminent development of windfarms in rural Wales will result in the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken in Wales.

A county council spokesman said it was already considering 13 planning applications, totalling 314 turbines, but said it is expecting to receive several more over the next few months.


  1. 1
    Huw Peach

    In an earlier press release, Cadwriaeth Ucheldir Powys, said that installing wind turbines would increase carbon emissions;
    http://www.shropshirestar.com/2009/07/01/windfarm-plans-threaten-trees/

    I wonder if someone from the campaign group could explain how they arrived at this strange conclusion, bearing in mind that wind produces only 24g of CO2 per kilowatt hour.

    Conventional means of producing electricity are MUCH more carbon-intensive by contrast;

    Coal: 1,153 grammes of CO2 per kilowatt hour

    Gas: 428 grammes of CO2 per kilowatt hour

    Are Cadwriaeth Ucheldir Powys campaigning for massive investment in ENERGY CONSERVATION?

    Are Cadwriaeth Ucheldir Powys looking instead at the merits of importing CONCENTRATED SOLAR energy from North Africa, as it is probably the greenest alternative to wind.

    Which low-carbon energy source does Cadwriaeth Ucheldir Powys want if it does not like wind?

    Report abuse

  2. 2
    Jonathan

    Wind power in Wales – Bring it on !

    Report abuse

  3. 3
    Bob

    What are the reasons for not wanting wind turbines?
    I thought it would be better than more power stations. These things i know are big and unsightly but there aren’t many clean alternitives.

    Report abuse

  4. 4
    spencer

    I started to read the comments on this one but lost interest towards the beginning of the first one

    Report abuse

  5. 5
    Y Mab Darogan

    Surely the Wrekin would be a ideal place to put wiond turbines.
    The beauty of the area is already damaged by the great TV transmitter on top and the soon to be coal mine at the bottom so wind turbines will not make much difference.

    Report abuse

  6. 6
    Suellan Fowler

    I thought the one of the reasons for harnessing alternative ways of producing energy was because the fossil fuels are diminishing quite fast?

    Report abuse

  7. 7
    winja

    winja in, “Agrees with Huw Peach” shocker!

    And talking of solar energy, have a look at this:

    http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/04/spanish-solar-tower-could-eventually-power-an-entire-city/

    Magnificent!

    Report abuse

  8. 8
    Mike T

    Unfortunately wind power is not the real answer to our problems the only true viable option is nuclear power :-(

    Report abuse

  9. 9
    Huw Peach

    To avoid dangerous tipping points in the climate system, scientists say that carbon dioxide in the world’s atmosphere must be reduced from the current level of 390 parts per million to 350 ppm as soon as possible.

    That means we need to cut carbon TODAY.

    New nuclear plants will take YEARS and YEARS to build and will not produce carbon savings for many years. They will also leave our kids, grand-children and great-grandchildren with a massive clean-up bill, Mike T.

    Wind is an established technology, which is available TODAY. If better technology like concentrated solar comes along turbines are much easier and cheaper than nuclear plants to decommission.

    Wind is a vital part of the MIX of low-carbon, renewable energy, which we need. The change-over to wind energy and other renewables will be accelerated by FEED-IN TARRIFFS which are finally coming into force in April 2010.

    Families, individuals and communities will be able to make money from creating renewable energy projects in their neighbourhood. They will then be able to sell that energy to power companies at guaranteed, generous rates.

    This is a long-overdue and very positive development, for anyone who is thinking of when the moment is right to invest in green energy.

    What is depressing is the lack of a sense of urgency on this issue. To make the cuts necessary to safeguard our future, we need to be working much faster.

    Last week the Institution of Mechanical Engineers said we needed to put the country on a ‘war footing’ to to cut carbon by 80% by 2050.

    Report abuse



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