John Thurso Wind Farm Moratorium

[pentlandlad]

Todays Courier states that John Thurso MP calls for halt to further wind farms in Caithness, as i see it the Wind Farms are all we have in Caithness at this time, there was a lot of hot air about work we were going to get from energy in the Pentland Firth, also the regeneration groups going to bring industry north to replace the contraction of Dounreay and Vulcan, time is ticking by, and i have' nt got a pair of rose tinted glasses, so can somebody please tell me what new developments i have missed.

[Gronnuck]

The way I read the article was JT wanted development to stop until the backlog of applications and new-builds are complete. We could then see what the accumulated effects of such rapid growth in the number of wind farms is. As it is we have one application after another with no processes in place to gauge what the end result will be.

As for jobs etc. the only jobs for locals might be in the preparation of the ground works because the turbines and blades are being built elsewhere in Europe. I doubt if any manufacturer is going to invest in a manufacturing plant hereabouts. They’re already manufacturing the equipment and sending it with their own engineers to assemble them on sites elsewhere.

The only jobs I can see for locals will be polishing windmills and grass cutting.

[©Amethyst]

The only jobs I can see for locals will be polishing windmills and grass cutting.

They'll get sheep in to do the grass! I was a bit disappointed when I learned of an electrician from elsewhere being used on the windmills in Caithness. The Electrician wasn't from too far away, but to know that a job that a Caithnessian could have done... disappointed wasn't really the right word!

[ducati]

Does anyone actually work on a windfarm or know anyone that does? Be interesting to know if there are any local jobs. I have never seen any advertised,

[emszxr]

i know of local people who work on wind farms

[Gronnuck]

i know of local people who work on wind farms

Good - I hope they have more responsibilities than just and polishing the windmills and cutting the grass. ;)

[hilary]

I think our mp has raised some good points .Especially about the noise factor also the accumulative effect of wind farms .If you live in the country very soon u will have turbines popping up all around you .Its no joke

[rupert]

Back in 2007 Tilter started a thread along the lines of 'Spittal Hill - the dumbest place ever for a windfarm'. Well nothing has changed - except that Spittal Hill is slowly getting encircled with all those other wind farms that have been approved since.

There are now 114 large wind turbines consented in Caithness with a further 94 applied for and approximately 66 in the scoping phase. John Thurso makes a very valid point. Why not wait until all the consented are built to see what effect these 114 will have on the County before deciding on anymore?

As for wave and tidal, the first round of leases should provide 1.2GW from the Firth and that's just for starters. Another 11GW of off-shore wind turbines are planned for our waters. Scotland can easily reach its renewable energy targets without Spittal Hill's measly 75MW.

And as for jobs - what a joke - plenty during construction (but they are unlikely to be Caithness based, except maybe laying tarmac and concrete) and one to keep it running after that.

Wake up and smell the coffee - this is all about snouts in the subsidy trough, paid for by you, me and all the other people through our electricity bills.

[Gronnuck]

I think our mp has raised some good points .Especially about the noise factor also the accumulative effect of wind farms .If you live in the country very soon u will have turbines popping up all around you .Its no joke

I agree.

If we had wind turbines every 100 yards right across the county they would still not be able to produce a consistant supply of electricty to be of any use.

[badger]

We're more likely to lose jobs if Caithness is covered in windfarms as Tourism is a very important industry - not just for the hotels and B&Bs but for the money visitors spend in the county. Every tourism website extols the virtues of the wide open spaces, peace and quiet, big skies, birds etc. There won't be any more big skies if all you can see is turbines. Won't be many birds left either - they don't call those blades bird mincers for nothing. No more bat walks - the changes in air pressure explode their little lungs.

Then of course there's people. Folks living round the A9 will have a pretty miserable time one way and another.

[olivia]

Todays Courier states that John Thurso MP calls for halt to further wind farms in Caithness, as i see it the Wind Farms are all we have in Caithness at this time, there was a lot of hot air about work we were going to get from energy in the Pentland Firth, also the regeneration groups going to bring industry north to replace the contraction of Dounreay and Vulcan, time is ticking by, and i have' nt got a pair of rose tinted glasses, so can somebody please tell me what new developments i have missed.

Don't you think you're being a little bit nieve? Not everything can be handed to you on a plate. I'm sure there are many hard-working people, not least our MP, working away behind the scenes trying their utmost to bring business to this part of the world.

Wave and tidal power are in their infancy but I'm sure will eventually be a huge source of jobs and provide reliable amounts of renewable energy which on-shore wind farms will never do.

It might be that some will have to move south or off-shore for work short term but hopefully there will be many jobs to come back to in the not so distant future. There is a world beyond Caithness you know?

[hilary]

Its time this snp lot were out of government .there is no democracy now you would think they would look after us in scotland ,but no .
Its getting like the Highland clearances the people have got no say in their own landIts more of a dictatorship

[SunnyChick]

I don't like them!

Windfarms are ugly, and they take away the natural beauty of the countryside. Hundreds of square feet of natural habitats are destroyed when these monster windmills are put up, and all the infrastructure which is needed to put them in place (roads, etc)... the cost to taxpayers, our wildlife/enviroment/scenery.....it's just not worth the effort! (I understand, they don't even generate all that much energy!)

I couldn't give a stuff if they put them down the middle huge motorways (which are already ugly), or if they put them out to sea (wind guaranteed)

.....but not in our backyard please!!!!! [disgust]

[spurtle]

Todays Courier states that John Thurso MP calls for halt to further wind farms in Caithness, as i see it the Wind Farms are all we have in Caithness at this time, there was a lot of hot air about work we were going to get from energy in the Pentland Firth, also the regeneration groups going to bring industry north to replace the contraction of Dounreay and Vulcan, time is ticking by, and i have' nt got a pair of rose tinted glasses, so can somebody please tell me what new developments i have missed.

It is time there was a complete review of what is going on up here, before it is too late. HC produced a strategy (at huge expense) to try to identify areas that were possible candidates for windfarms. This was was then superceded by National policy, and we see areas that were identified as being totally unsuitable being colonised by large wind farms, and they are not only becoming larger in terms of numbers, but the heights of them are also vastly increased on anything we have now.
As the government have signed up to an obligation to provide a certain percentage of renewable energy, they are achieving this by kicking out the democratic processes which they see as a hindrance to onshore windfarm development. ("Streamlining the planning process" is the current euphemism for this).
The European directive on preserving peatlands is being universally flouted, and could be the subject of a challenge in the Euro courts. Caithness can forget the idea of a World Heritage Listing, as we will be seen as destroying this precious environment, with the connivance of SNH, who have also had to fall in with national policy. You try getting permission from them to plant a tree on a peaty site! Wind turbines - not a problem!
The whole thing is a monstrous scam, for which we will pay dearly - indeed, as someone has pointed out, it is already subsidised by a levy in your current electricity bills.
If these subsidies and leases to greedy landowners were to disappear, not a single turbine would be applied for.

[Boozeburglar]

Spurtle, what a change to see such a well put together post. Agree completely.

[Margaret M.]

I'm just looking for Rheggie, I thought I'd find him here, but no. Where are you, Rheggie?

[badger]

Following Spurtle's comments on peatlands, saw this in the P&J today:




The three-turbine development is earmarked for a peat field known as St Fergus Moss, about six miles north of the Buchan port.


See http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1775590#ixzz0qSXviBAO



Do they know nothing? Peat is a very efficient carbon sink and should not be disturbed.

[ywindythesecond]

Following Spurtle's comments on peatlands, saw this in the P&J today:



See http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1775590#ixzz0qSXviBAO




Do they know nothing? Peat is a very efficient carbon sink and should not be disturbed.


I read that report you linked to Badger, and forced myself to laugh, as otherwise I would have cried. What a different world Buchan is. Here are some quotes from the article and how it compares to Caithness today.
A GREEN energy firm last night unveiled plans for a major windfarm ………….The three-turbine development ………………involves the creation of three 330ft turbines.
On 21st May, Highland Council Planning officials approved plans for five 330 foot turbines at Wathegar under a procedure to speed up minor things like conservatories, and without even reference to our Councillors.. It turns two small three turbine developments into an 11 turbine major windfarm that would not have been approved on its own.
This year alone, Aberdeenshire Council has received 11 applications for 16 turbines in the Buchan area – ranging from just over 50ft to more than 330ft tall.
This year alone the Scottish Government has forced 20 turbines 360 feet high on us at Baillie and 12 turbines 370 feet high at Stroupster against the wishes of the people and the Highland Council. 30 more 360 foot turbines will be decided at Spittal on 22nd June. 25 turbines are still to be built at Camster and three more at Causeymire
A similarly sized bid for a three-turbine windfarm near Auchnagatt was discussed by local councillors earlier this month. Planning officers recommended that the local area committee refuse the plan because there were too many turbines planned for that area. They said the scheme would make the countryside “visually cluttered”.
These people in Buchan have no idea what visual clutter is! Highland Council effectively paved the way for 17 turbines 410 feet high in front of Morven and the Scarabens in February this year.
For the whole story on windfarms in Caithness, go to www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk (http://www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk) , look at the windfarm sites and follow the links to Spittal Windfarm Opposition Group site.
Above all, turn up at the Ross Institute in Halkirk at 12.30 on 22nd June and make the Planning Committee understand that enough is enough!

[rupert]

Unbelievably, for the biggest wind farm application in the county to date, with the most letters of objection by far, the planning meeting to decide Highland Council's view on the Spittal Hill wind farm proposal will be just a meeting. No hearing beforehand where objectors can have the opportunity to air their views to their elected Councillors.

Democracy is dead when it comes to wind farm planning.