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Bid to ease wildlife rules to allow development of £500m Lewis wind farm

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Published Date: 05 February 2008
By JOHN ROSS AND MURDO MACLEAN
PLANS for Europe's largest wind farm could still be approved if ministers and environmental agencies can be persuaded to change their interpretation of rules protecting wildlife, councillors in the Western Isles heard yesterday.
Ministers indicated last month that they are "minded to refuse" Lewis Wind Power's (LWP) plans for a 181-turbine development on the environmentally sensitive Lewis peatlands, although a final decision has yet to be made.

Developers have until 15
February to respond.

Following a special meeting of Western Isles Council yesterday, a spokesman for the authority said:

"There is determination to do what we can to bring to the Scottish ministers' attention the opportunity that is in danger of being passed up here. We reckon this is hitting a lot of the government's targets in terms of investing in renewable energy, investing in communities and so on."

The council, which backed plans for the project more than a year ago, is seeking an urgent meeting with Scottish Natural Heritage to discuss the agency's interpretation of European wildlife habitat designations, which have been used to object to the development.

Ministers said they are minded to object to the £500 million wind farm, because of potential impacts on environmentally sensitive sites and bird life in a "special protection area".

LWP has been told it has failed in the vital aim of not destroying habitats for rare and threatened birds and maintaining the integrity of the site.

But the council is challenging the government's conclusions and insists the interpretation of environmental rules is too strict. It predicts the project will bring much-needed employment to the islands. It has been claimed it could mean 400 construction jobs, plus 70 at the Arnish manufacturing yard near Stornoway and another 70 at the wind farm. It would also bring in £6 million a year in community payments and £4 million in rental.

Councillor Norman Macdonald asked: "How can (the government] make an assessment of the perceived serious damage to the environment against the economic benefits without considering the economic benefits?"

The council is also set to contact MPs, MSPs, Holyrood's economy, energy and tourism committee and LWP to try to keep the plan on the table.

In a letter to Alex Salmond, the First Minister, last week, Alex Macdonald, the council's convener, said rejection would be "wrong for the Western Isles, renewable energy and for Scotland".



The full article contains 407 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

 
1

Neanderthal75,

Rocky Mountains USA 05/02/2008 00:31:55
Hello All,

It never ceases to amaze me; bird species which have been smart enough to survive every sort of threat for thousands of years, are 'too dumb' to see towers nearly 500 feet tall, and avoid the slow turning turbine blades?

Right.

Tell you what, perhaps the Enviro-Fascist Groups should get together and make illegal, all Tidal Destruction of Scottish Beaches, trees, rocks, etc.?

The Seas are destroying the Land, and thus, are endangering ALL wildlife species throughout Great Britain, so surely the E-F should get on the Ban the Sea/Tidal Waves as soon as possible!!!

What a vacuous Lot!!

Jobs created, tax revenues created, YEARLY RENEWABLE ENERGY created-which is NOT toxic to the water, land, air, or people, and the Enviro-Fascists are AGAINST it!

The Whackos have been whining, screaming, THREATENING, SUING, and complaining, for nigh on FOUR DECADES to get Renewable Energy Wind/Solar Farms BUILT for towns, cities, and nations, to generate non-polluting Renewable Energy, but NOW they're fighting AGAINST exactly that which they've DEMANDED for DECADES!!!!

Hypocrites the Lot of them!!!

Mind you, these same Simpletons want HIGHER fuel prices, HIGHER energy bills, HIGHER Public Transport Costs, and More Restrictions on Personal Transport!!!

They don't at all mind causing greater poverty!
They don't at all mind making poor people choose between eating and staying warm!
They don't at all mind hurting Pensioners, making them choose between food, utilities, and other costs, and staying warm.

Nooooo, the Arrogant Elitist Enviro-Fascists don't mind causing so much pain, grief, poverty, deprivation, and suffering, for tens of thousands/hundreds of thousands of people; JUST SO LONG as THEY are NOT part of those people so suffering!!!

Build the Wind Farm, Create the Jobs, Generate the Tax Revenues, Create the Energy, and thereby, Help the Environment!

Cheers from the Rockies
2

AbandonAllHope,

05/02/2008 00:55:16
#1 Must go down as one of the most entertaining comments ever !
3

Pilrig.,

Livingston 05/02/2008 06:19:12
2 - it would be even better if he knew what he was talking aboot !

Seas threatening the Hebrides ? : )
4

Plodjfriss, Hammer of the Numpties,

Edinburgh 05/02/2008 07:40:55
You've got to admit that #1's chosen an appropriate name though.

Also, it seems that the developers don't want the rules so much "eased" as "scrapped".
5

donald,

glasgow 05/02/2008 07:50:16
Birds always came before people in the Highlands and Islands, then so did sheep and English windmills.
6

Greenheatman,

TAIN 05/02/2008 07:52:54
"It never ceases to amaze me; bird species which have been smart enough to survive every sort of threat for thousands of years, are 'too dumb' to see towers nearly 500 feet tall, and avoid the slow turning turbine blades?"

Aye right! These blade tips are moving at 200mph. Try standing blindfold on a F1 track and avoid the cars at 200mph hitting you!

7

AbandonAllHope,

05/02/2008 08:23:53
#4 Barra-D Lets not build any at all, the knock on effect for tourism is blindingly obvious, people wont come if these monstrosities continue being build. Mind you, building them in Edinburgh, a big long line across the Pentlands, will probably be the only way of persauding whoever the powers that be that its a cr*p decision.

8

Dragonlord,

05/02/2008 08:32:11
4# No it's not!! The South of Englandshire is where it's needed, so no need to build in Scotland at all!!.The only ones to benefit are the contractors and makers. Stop this stupidity NOW!.
9

rural wifie,

Moray 05/02/2008 08:57:38
I have my own turbine & guess what - no dead birds- no electricity bills -no unacceptable noise levels. Plenty birds on the bird table 30 feet from the turbine. This thing is fast and my feathered friends a] feel the turbulence and keep away or b] see it and dodge. The suicide birds that fly into my windows are the same species that dodge the turbine - so what do we do - ban windows so that birds don't fly into them
10

ignorant townie?,

Scotland 05/02/2008 09:45:31
We all love wildlife dont we?...until it gets in the way of "progress"...

for goodness sake look at whats going on here....this isnt about a bunch of eco fascists or whatever stupid name you give people you disagree with today....a huge number of local people disagree with this monstrosity.

all thtas being said is that some places are more suitable for wind farms than others....and thois one at this scale is totally unsuitable...

Im very proud of being a scot at present - weve shown ourselves capable of resisting the quick buck of Donald TRump and the quick buck of windfarm developers on Lewis.

There are more important long term matters here than cash in hand. As for Donald who says that birds always come first in the Highlands, can I remind him that it was for short term economic gain that the 19th century landlords wrecked the Highlands with their cheviot sheep, mean while throwing out the excess people who got in the way?
11

rural wifie,

moray 05/02/2008 10:42:06
no not a 500ft. but the blade tips are very fast - I can't lay my hands on the docs at the moment but I was very surprised at the speed. and definitely NO electricity bills

I wonder how Lewis will feel when the central government override the executive re nuclear and site a plant in the western isles. The exec can stop stuff going on the roads but westminster can send the stuff by sea
12

fred bloggs,

Edinburgh 05/02/2008 10:53:17
The Tip Speed Ratio is of vital importance in the design of wind turbine generators. If the rotor of the wind turbine turns too slowly, most of the wind will pass undisturbed through the gap between the rotor blades. Alternatively if the rotor turns too quickly, the blurring blades will appear like a solid wall to the wind. Therefore, wind turbines are designed with optimal tip speed ratios to extract as much power out of the wind as possible.

When a rotor blade passes through the air it leaves turbulence in its wake. If the next blade on the spinning rotor arrives at this point while the air is still turbulent, it will not be able to extract power efficiently from the wind. However if the rotor span a little more slowly the air hitting each turbine blade would no longer be turbulent. Therefore the tip speed ratio is chosen so that the blades do not pass through turbulent air.

The tip speed ratio is given by dividing the speed of the tips of the turbine blades by the speed of the wind - for example if a 20 mph wind is blowing on a wind turbine and the tips of its blades are rotating at 80 mph, then the tip speed ration is 80/20 = 4.

The optimum tip speed ratio depends on the number of blades in the wind turbine rotor. The fewer the number of blades, the faster the wind turbine rotor needs to turn to extract maximum power from the wind. A 3 -bladed rotor has an optimum tip speed ratio of around 5.

The rotor tips of large and small wind generators will in general turn at similar speeds.
13

fred bloggs,

Edinburgh 05/02/2008 10:58:08
15.Of course this means that small turbines have to rotate at much higher rpm.
14

Galaman,

Galashiels 05/02/2008 11:04:09
If anyone is in any doubt as to whether windfarms are the universal antidote which Green fascists and the pro-windfarm lobby make them out to be, just ask the Danes. They have come to their senses, and no more windfarms are being erected in Denmark.
15

Calum Crubag,

05/02/2008 12:44:37
#18 - Gordon, aye and your hot wind is a blessing for us all.

Dave - is it practical to put these things in Edinburgh? I get your point. What about Glasgow, Stirling and Inverness? Surely a smaller scale windfarm controlled by the Leodhasaich themselves to benefit themselves and other islanders first would be beneficial?
16

Calum Crubag,

05/02/2008 12:44:43
#18 - Gordon, aye and your hot wind is a blessing for us all.

Dave - is it practical to put these things in Edinburgh? I get your point. What about Glasgow, Stirling and Inverness? Surely a smaller scale windfarm controlled by the Leodhasaich themselves to benefit themselves and other islanders first would be beneficial?
17

Guga II,

Rockall 05/02/2008 16:50:39
This whole project is based on a blatant lie, or, to be more precise, a series of blatant lies.

There may be 400 jobs on offer during the construction phase, but most of these jobs will go to people from outwith the islands; probably Poles as they can, and do, exploit them by paying them less than the going rate.

As for the alleged 70 ongoing jobs, that is utter rubbish. In the large scheme they built in Wales, there are only 3 full time ongoing jobs, and only one of them has gone to a local.

The people in the islands will not benefit in any way from the construction of these monstrosities. They will not get a halfpenny extra in their pocket, and they will not get cheaper electricity. The power from this scheme will be sold to England, and the profits will go to foreigners also.

These towers will be 487 feet high, and the proposal was for 187 of them spread out over an area the size of greater London. They will be blight on the landscape, and will not even be able to be utilised for a high percentage of the time because the winds will be too strong for them to operate.

Ignoring the numpties in the Comhairle, the majority of the people do not want, or need to have these monstrosities despoiling their island, especially when they will have no benefit from them. There is a lot to be said for bringing back annual elections for councils, otherwise these overpaid and underworked numpties will continue to do things against the wishes of the people. They should also remember that the church will not protect them, or ensure their re-election forever.

If they want to increase the population and benefit the economy of the islands, the only way is to have Sunday ferries, and Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) on the ferries. Not by blighting the landscape for the benefit of foreigners.
18

S MacLeod,

05/02/2008 16:57:15
http://www.theecologist.org/news_detail.asp?content_id=1163
19

Neanderthal75,

Rocky Mountains USA 05/02/2008 18:05:59
Hello MacLeod,

I went to the Online Ecologist, but found that they're no more honest than many of the people here posting!

They blame the 'evil' utility companies for not building any new Wind Farms, implying that they would rather 'scam' the public with the aid of politicians, but say NARY a word concerning the FACT, that it is the Enviro-Fascists whom are BLOCKING the building of Wind/Solar Farms!!!!

Now why do they NOT tell the whole story of what is ongoing?

Funny that, isn't it?

Oh yes, I'm ALL FOR building Wind/Solar Farms WHEREVER the annometer data leads for such construction!

Same for Solar Farms: build it where there is space and where it can yield the most generation of electricity!

The Enviro-Fascists and their fellow Luddites want it all: HIGHER energy bills, MORE TAXES, HIGHER PUBLIC TRANSPORT COSTS, HIGHER food costs, and of course, SOMEONE ELSE to pay for it all (THEY certainly don't want to pay for it!).

Just as soon as you E-F's and Luddites get honest, I'll start listening to your whining.

Oh yes, your ignorance concerning Energy Policies and Real World Data, is as plethora as is your ignorance concerning my people, the Neanderthals: nothing new of course, you Cro-Magnon descendants just can't get out of your own way. My relatives at Shanidar would NOT be impressed with you.

Cheers from the Rockies
20

TimW1234,

Ottawa, Canada 05/02/2008 18:18:20
"minded to refuse"

What a lovely euphemism for the real intent that they will give into the greedy desire for filthy lucre and eventually grant the wishes of the developers.

This euphemism must be unique to Scotland because I have never heard it voiced elsewhere.
21

fred bloggs,

Edinburgh 05/02/2008 18:34:20
21. Guga:

You exaggerate as usual. The proposed scheme would not occupy an area the size of Greater London. A rectangle drawn round it encloses an area only a third of that. Most of the contained ground will still be available for grazing animals, crops and wild life and existing roads.
22

fred bloggs,

Edinburgh 05/02/2008 18:44:28
21. Guga states:

'These towers will be 487 feet high'

Actually the towers are only 284 feet high; the rotor tips reach 459 feet.

Ironic that your post starts with the following:

'This whole project is based on a blatant lie, or, to be more precise, a series of blatant lies.'

Are the rest of your claimed figures as far out I wonder?
23

Neanderthal75,

Rocky Mountains USA 05/02/2008 19:23:29
Hello Fred B,

Why would the Luddites bother with actual facts and empirical data, when sheer subjective emotionalism is their forte'?

It's rather like one Luddite argued; that the Wind Farm would create either ZERO or NEGATIVE energy production!!!

It is such ludicrous statements which prove just how bankrupt are the Luddites and Eco-Fascists; they can't argue facts, so they resort to their ONLY argument: sheer emotionalism, which is totally devoid of reality.

The worst part of it, is that these Luddites and Eco-Fascists care not one wit about the poor, the working class families who truly strive just to make ends meet!

This is why none of the Luddites/E-F's ever address the real world concerns I've raised, which are part and parcel of their political platforms and goals, which the L's/E-F's want:

Higher Taxes
Higher Fuel Costs
Higher Electric bills
Higher Public Transport Costs
Higher Food Costs
Great Restrictions on Private Transport

These are the real world issues which the L's/E-F's CANNOT and WILL NOT address; they don't care about poor and working people.

Luddites and Eco-Fascists are Arrogant Elitists, with the usual "Let them eat Cake" mentality.

We cannot let them succeed in their mission to bankrupt us all.

Cheers from the Rockies
24

S MacLeod,

05/02/2008 19:36:12
Neanderthal75,

I don't agree.
25

fred bloggs,

Edinburgh 05/02/2008 19:53:54
27.

Neanderthal, you sound somewhat paranoid and confused.

Higher Taxes will be needed to pay for new energy sources replacing dirty coal, oil and gas;
Higher Fuel Costs are the result of rapidly increasing demand from both developed and developing coutries;
Higher Electric bills are due to the rising prices of oil and gas which are limited in supply in conditions of rapidly rising demand and diminishing new finds;
Higher Public Transport Costs are the result of rising fuel prices due to rising demand.

All these increases are caused by the rapidly rising expectations of rising populations and increasing industrialisation worldwide and will be exacerbated by climate change which in turn is due to rising fossil fuel use in the rising and developing world population.
Higher Food Costs
Great Restrictions on Private Transport
26

Neanderthal75,

Rocky Mountains USA 06/02/2008 20:43:13
Hello again Fred B,

Thanks for the reply.

Firstly, ZERO new taxes are needed to promote, build, operate, and/or enhance, Wind/Solar/Tidal/Current Farms.

In fact, taxes CAN be lowered on individuals, because of the greater VOLUME of tax revenues (because of lower rates) from the Energy companies.

The Higher Fuel Costs are at a maximum, only 30%-50% of fuel costs in GB and Europe: the rest is TAXES placing a HUGE burden on the average petrol purchaser (which includes those who ride Public Transport).

Lower the Taxes by 50%-60% from their current levels, and watch JOB GROWTH go through the roof, poverty lessen, mortgages get paid off quicker, individual home ownership rise, and MUCH Lower FOOD costs (which Pensioners could REALLY use, neh?).

Fred, Electric bills have ZERO with which to do, concerning the price of petrol, and darned little to do with oil prices. Most electrical generating plants operate on either coal or natural gas: NEITHER of which is owned by OPEC because it comes from Brit Sources.

Higher electric costs have to do with greed by the government, greed by the corporations, and yes, greed by politicians in raising taxes on corporations AND individuals alike.

I know about the coal issue, because I literally live in the middle of an Oil Patch, am surrounded by Coal Mines, and have family in both industries.

So scratch higher electric bills off your list because India and the PRC are doing what WE should be doing: increasing our GDPs.

Demand for Public Transport is near static: the rise in costs is due to, yup, you guessed it, a combination of higher oil costs and more taxes.

Lower the Taxes on petrol and diesel and watch Scotland's economy GROW. A nifty 'by-product' would be helping pensioners, disabled people, and the dirt poor, to live better.

Surely you support that goal, do you not?

Cheers from the Rockies

 

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