It was reported this evening that the windfarm, proposed for the north of Lewis, is set to be rejected by Scottish Ministers. The project was for 181 turbines, each standing 450 feet tall, marching from Port of Ness in the north to Bragar in the west and Stornoway in the south. This would have meant one turbine for every 400 yards.
The windfarm was approved by the Western Isles Council, who had hailed the proposal as the salvation for the local economy. WIC convener Alec MacDonald expressed his deep disappointment at the likely rejection. Saliently, the Isles MSP [Member of Scottish Parliament], Alasdair Allan, was happy at the turning-down of the windfarm, saying it was too big for Lewis.
The main reason for Scottish Ministers not to approve the windfarm would seem to be environmental considerations. The islands are peppered with environmental designations, and the bird charity RSPB was most vocal in its opposition.
A formal decision is likely within the next few weeks.
If the decision is confirmed as a rejection, this puts the other two projects (in Eishken and Pairc) in doubt as well, to my mind.
Good news for the folks of Lewis but it only means they will have to find somewhere else to put it alas.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, I'll try that next time. Joni
ReplyDeleteI clapped when this came up on the news! Hurrah!
ReplyDeleteJeanie
Glad to hear it. Your part of the world is too small and precious to be plastered with wind farms. Peg oxo
ReplyDeleteSometimes I wonder whether the proposers of all these wonderful things that are going to save us and the environment think through their proposals to a logical end. Wind farms sound good--renewable energy. So do solar panels and using electricity instead of oil for heat. But wind farms can cause problems for birds. Does anyone know what kind of pollution is caused in the production of solar panels? And the energy companies are fighting one another over whether coal-fired electric plants are cleaner than natural gas.
ReplyDelete;^) Jan the Gryphon
http://journals.aol.com/gryphondear/Gryphondears-Word-of-the-Day
I wonder where they will put it now?
ReplyDeletePam