Environmental campaigners support offshore windfarm at public inquiry

At a public inquiry into the proposed Scarweather Sands offshore windfarm in Swansea Bay which opens tomorrow, environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth Cymru will be giving evidence in support of the windfarm (1). The group believes that the inquiry will lead to a clearer understanding of the site specific issues, which may help allay some locals' concerns. The pro-wind energy campaigners also hope that wider issues about energy policy and wind technology, which some objectors have used to generate local opposition might also be addressed. However, some of these issues may lie outside the remit of the inquiry.

Neil Crumpton, energy spokesperson for Friends of the Earth Cymru, said:

"We support the proposed windfarm because it would generate clean and climate friendly electricity for nearly fifty thousand people around Swansea Bay. We believe that the claims about the destruction of the tourist industry around Porthcawl are unfounded. Indeed, we think that the windfarm could indeed bring tourism benefits to the Bay such as recreational fishing. We also think it unfortunate that some public opposition to the scheme has been generated by people who aim to cause controversy and obscure the debate with the usual misinformation about wind energy technology. "

Friends of the Earth Cymru are concerned about some of the beliefs and proposed 'energy' solutions of some objectors.

Neil Crumpton continued:

"It is alarming that of the main objectors Porthcawl SOS have said that global warming is spin and CPRW have stated that they conditionally support nuclear power. They are bound to have different priorities and see things differently if that is the case. We say that this scheme is ready to be built and the urgency of reducing dangerous greenhouse gas emissions supersedes talk about energy efficiency or putting turbines over the horizon. Last week's reports about the shrinking Arctic ice sheet and forest fires in California should be borne in mind during the inquiry"

Notes

1) United Utilities application for 108 MW (max capacity) 30 turbine windfarm at Scarweather Sands, Swansea Bay. Inquiry opens at 10am on Tuesday 4th November at the Aberavon Beach Hotel, Port Talbot.