THE world’s second-largest offshore wind farm has been given the green light to be built off the coast of Wirral and North Wales.
Gwynt-y-Mor offshore wind farm, combined with three other nearby wind farms off the North Wales coast, will provide enough clean, green electricity to power the equivalent of 680,000 homes.
But the plans have met with a mixed response in west Wirral, with concerns for the views across the Irish Sea and fears that dependence on wind power is a questionable strategy.
The 750mw development by Npower Renewables Ltd will consist of up to 250 turbines and lie some eight miles off the coast, 10 miles from Llandudno and 11 miles from Wirral.
Hoylake councillor Gerry Ellis said it seemed a “reasonable step forward”.
He said: “It’s a long way off our shores and I don’t think it will have a great effect on Wirral, and if it produces more energy then good luck to them.”
But West Kirby councillor David Elderton said: “I am concerned that yet another tranche of approved wind farms will be expensive to build and maintain and will not be cost- effective in providing power.
“We have also lobbied in the past about our concerns over the visibility. If people believed they would be reliable, people would be more welcoming to them.” Yesterday, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said the North Wales coast was set to become “a powerhouse for renewable energy”.
He said: “Gwynt-y-Mor will be the largest of four offshore wind farms which combined will have the potential to power the equivalent of around 680,000 homes with green electricity.”
A spokesperson for the British Wind Energy Association said: “This is fantastic news. Gwynt-y- Mor is a landmark project both for Wales and the United Kingdom as a whole.”
Gwynt-y-Mor is the latest wind farm to be approved off the North Wales coast. North Hoyle (30 turbines) and Burbo (25 turbines) are already up and running, while Rhyl Flats (25 turbines) is into the latter half of its construction phase.
Currently, it is anticipated that offshore construction works could begin in 2011 with final commissioning of the wind farm in 2014.Š
In granting approval, DECC says it took into account both the distance of the development from the shore and work Npower Renewables Ltd had done to minimise the visual impact.
Dr John Constable, director of policy and research for the Renewable Energy Foundation, a charity publishing data on the sector, said: “On balance, this consent is to be welcomed.
“That said, we must be realistic about what even very big offshore wind farms such as this can actually offer; intermittency really is a problem, and the emissions savings are not cheap.
“The UK has very serious difficulties looming in the energy sector, and, sadly, even gigantic wind farms such as this are only a very small step towards a solution.”
liammurphy
