Wind Energy Information Group Predicts 'A NAMA For Wind Turbines!'

Thursday November 07, 2013 22:23

by T

The plan for a huge number of wind turbines is not just running into trouble. It seems it could turn out to be a bit of a white elephant. The drive is coming from the UK because the population density is so high they are running into continual problems with objections and as a result they are unable to meet their own promised obligations for the percentage of renewable energy. But they have done a deal with the Irish government to use the 'empty' midlands of Ireland to build thousands of wind turbines and transfer the power by cable to the UK.

To many these seems like corporate colonialism and the though of all the billions in investment with the chance to then quickly sell complete wind farms on has all the worst kinds of people involved and the Irish government and their friends have been so eager to get hands on this that the Irish government has incredibly not even carried out a Cost Benefit Analysis of the whole thing.

With wind farms if the site is not windy enough and too many turbines are put on the site, it can result in a situation where they do not meet the targets for power output and hence revenue and it can result in the venture not covering its costs properly -i.e. making a loss. This has happened quite a bit in the interior locations of various countries as the strongest and most consistent wind generally occurs on coastal sites. And Colm McCarthy, the ‘Bord Snip’ economist, has already described the drive to build wind farms all over Ireland as another potential ‘Nama’.

The news that we could end up with a NAMA for Wind Farms in the Midlands was reported today in the Midland Tribune.

The opening paragraph says

Kilcormac/Kinnitty/Cadamstown Wind Energy Information group has expressed the view that Ireland will soon need a NAMA for wind turbines, if proposals to erect hundreds of wind turbines in the Midlands go ahead.
Responding to the publication of the Bord na Móna's Chief's comments in last week's Tribune that Offaly will be the Saudi Arabia of wind energy if their Clean Energy Hub projects go ahead, the Group has yet again called on the Government to demonstrate that its Wind Energy Policy fulfills the three Pillars of Sustainability in Planning terms i.e. Environmental, Economic and Social.
In a statement the group said 'It is inconceivable that the CEO of Ireland Inc is intent on pressing ahead with its unsustainable wind energy policy without even having carried out a Cost Benefit Analysis from the outset! Has Minister Rabbitte not looked across the water to Scotland where they are in danger of blackouts before the end of the century due to the Scottish Government's massive investment in Wind Energy without also having done the costings and also having ignored other forms of renewables. Colm McCarthy has said that Ireland will soon have a NAMA for wind turbines.'

The report then goes on to mention some of the usual anti-wind arguments although I do not think it is quite straight forward but in this particular case, I think the final comment really sums up the situation

This project is all about profit at the expense of our quality of life. That's it. Money!'

And what this encapsulates is that in all these cases where we are trying to solve a problem -in this case energy supply and reducing CO-2, there are always people and large business who are willing to use and abuse this concern and public support to run roughshod over people and to make a killing for themselves and the people who cleared the institutional obstacles to allow them to do it.

You can read the full report at the link below