Villagers fear electricity pylon plans
Tuesday 19th April 2011, 6:35PM BST.
Worried residents fear there is no escape for their Mid Wales village from electricity pylons which could be built across the region.
Dozens of villagers went to National Grid’s latest exhibition in Forden, near Welshpool, yesterday as it consults on plans for a substation in Abermule, near Newtown, or Cefn Coch, near Llanfair Caereinion, and pylons in Mid Wales and Shropshire.
But villagers fear no matter where the substation is located the pylons will be built through the village carrying power from windfarms set to be built by Newtown.
Marjorie Johnson, from the village, said: “From what I understand the pylons will be on either one side of the village or the other and there will be no escape.
“It is terribly worrying as it will completely ruin our beautiful countryside.
“There was a fabulous turnout at a meeting against the plans in the village last week and I don’t think we’ll go down without a fight.”
But Roger Williamson said he feared there was little they could do to stop the pylons from being built.
“They’ve already made their minds up and they will be coming no matter what,” he said.
“Consultation events like this is just lip service to residents, they’ll go ahead and build them where they want, no doubt.
“They probably know exactly where they will put them but they have go to be seen to be asking us for our opinions.”
Katherine Jones, also from Forden, said she felt for the people of Abermule and Cefn Coch.
She said: “Depending on where they put the substation, the value of their homes will surely plummet.
“We will have our landscape ruined to some extent, but surely not to the extent they will.
“They are talking in huge numbers for the size of the power station and this is just a few large pylons.”
A spokesman for the National Grid said it was holding consultation events across the region to find a potential route for a 400,000-volt cable, using 46-metre high pylons or by routing the wires underground.
The next consultation event will tomorrow in Middleton Village Hall, near Welshpool, from 2pm to 8pm.
By Andrew Morris
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Below is an extract from a recent study of wind turbine efficiency. The full report should be downloaded and presented in support of the objection to this proposal. Anyone with any common sense will understand that leaving aside local concerns and the despoilment of the natural countryside, wind turbines are the epitome of the modern day ‘Emperors new clothes’. Utterly inefficient and viable for installation only by massive government subsidy i.e. public funds (our money) given to the private sector to profit from. Any argument that they are necessary is shown to be facile.
A Report by Stuart Young
Supported by
John Muir Trust
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
in respect of analysis of electricity generation from all the U.K.
windfarms which are metered by National Grid,
November 2008 to December 2010
The following five statements are common assertions made by both the wind
industry and Government representatives and agencies. This Report examines
those assertions.
1. “Wind turbines will generate on average 30% of their rated capacity over a year.”
2. “The wind is always blowing somewhere.”
3. “Periods of widespread low wind are infrequent.”
4. “The probability of very low wind output coinciding with peak electricity demand is slight.”
5. “Pumped storage hydro can fill the generation gap during prolonged low wind periods.”
This analysis uses publicly available data for a 26 month period between November
2008 and December 2010 and the facts in respect of the above assertions are:
1. Average output from wind was 27.18% of metered capacity in 2009, 21.14% in 2010, and 24.08%
between November 2008 and December 2010 inclusive.
2. There were 124 separate occasions from November 2008 till December 2010 when total generation
from the windfarms metered by National Grid was less than 20MW. (Average capacity over the
period was in excess of 1600MW).
3. The average frequency and duration of a low wind event of 20MW or less between November
2008 and December 2010 was once every 6.38 days for a period of 4.93 hours.
4. At each of the four highest peak demands of 2010 wind output was low being respectively 4.72%,
5.51%, 2.59% and 2.51% of capacity at peak demand.
5. The entire pumped storage hydro capacity in the UK can provide up to 2788MW for only 5 hours
then it drops to 1060MW, and finally runs out of water after 22 hours.
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