This article is from page 15 of the 2007-05-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 15 JPG
PLANS for a €10 million windfarm seven kilometres from the east Clare villages of Tulla and Feakle have come under fire from local residents.
Last month, plans were lodged by Ventus Energy to develop eight tur- bines to supply electricity to 22,000 |aXeyaatercy
As part of the plan, the developers wish to remove 425 acres of forest plantation.
But in a strident appeal, residents say that the turbines proposed for the
site “are next generation machines optimised for off-shore use”’.
They state, ““As far as we are aware, there are no onshore wind turbines of comparable size operating anywhere in Ireland. The blade span is 93m or nearly twice as large as the turbines at Derrybrien for instance.
“The maximum blade tip height 1s 127m. The turbine tips will exceed the summit of Maghera mountain.”
The residents point out, “The pro- posed site is in a ‘preferred area’ for windfarms specified in the East Clare Development Plan. This is because
of its upland location and sparse hu- man habitation.
“However, the site is also desig- nated as a ‘vulnerable’ or sensitive landscape. Not all preferred areas for windfarms in Clare have this dual designation. Indeed, ECDP shows preferred areas nearby which do not have a vulnerable landscape designa- tion.”
ftom rons (eCcoe acum ontcaeUetcd elm aston eles landscape in close proximity to the proposed windfarm, close by to Lough Ea, which the residents state “is associated with Biddy Early in
local folklore. It is a uniquely Irish place and frequently visited by walk- ers, anglers, birders and the contem- tek ome
They say that the scale of the devel- opment would “represent a profane intrusion into this serene and private landscape.”
“The turbines will be visible form huge tracts of Clare and even Galway and Tipperary…
“Despite its huge visual impact, the power output of this development is very modest. With a rated capacity of 24 MW, the development will con-
tribute only OMW on average.
“The trend in responsible wind industry is towards larger off-shore installations. The project proposed by Ventus Energy has only seven per cent of this capacity, but may well come at a much higher cost in terms of our landscape heritage.
“The wind power developer has a strong financial incentive to employ larger turbines on higher ground. Unfortunately, both of these aspects are detrimental to the long-term in- terests of residents and visitors of County Clare.”