Lewis Wind Farm
Lewis Wind Farm
Proposed Lewis Wind Farm cut from 234 to 181 Turbines
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Conservation groups and residents of the Hebridean island of Lewis will continue their fight against the proposed Lewis Wind Farm despite the number of the 140m wind turbines being cut from 234 to 181. This would still leave this as the largest wind farm in the UK.
The original plan was backed by the Western Isles Council but they were unhappy with the positioning of 25 of the turbines. 21 of those turbines have been removed from the new plan together with over thirty other turbines. Reducing the number of turbines by almost 25% will only lead to a reduction of 7% in the power generated (from 702MW down to 652MW) thanks to continuing advances in wind turbine technology.
Lewis Wind Farm have assured residents in the north of the Isle of Lewis that 400 jobs would be generated during the four years of construction and reminded them that £3m in rent will be paid to Lewis each year in rent. In addition a 15% stake in the finished wind farm is available to the residents.
However 4,000 residents signed a petition against the original wind farm plans and few of those are expected to have changed their minds despite the reduction in the number of turbines. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is also remain extremely concerned about the potential damage to vulnerable bird habitats caused by the £500m project. They also fear that golden eagles would be at threat in the area.
Scotland is seen as the best part of the UK on which to situate wind turbine generators as winds there are strong and regular. Turbines currently running in Wales and England are running at just 25% of capacity compared with well over 30% for the existing large scale Scottish turbine installations.
Read more about this story in The Guardian, BBC Online, The Scotsman.
Article Last Modified: 09:51, 13th Dec 2006Comment on this Article
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