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Scarweather Sands campaign: taking positive action to help stop climate change
Posted by bex on 7 July 2004.
The stakes in the energy debate are extremely high. UN scientists agree that, because of global warming caused by burning fossil fuels, we will experience more droughts, floods and storms from now on. For South Wales, climate change means more coastal flooding and wetter, stormier weather. Read more »
Scarweather sands wind farm given the go-ahead by Welsh Assembly
Posted by bex on 7 July 2004.
Scarweather wind farm get the green light
Our nine-month campaign to promote the development of a large wind farm off the coast of Porthcawl, South Wales, paid off yesterday when the planning committee of the Welsh Assembly agreed to back the proposal.
Following a public inquiry, held last November, the committee has approved proposals for thirty 120 metre turbines, situated between 3.5 and 4.3 miles off the coast. On completion the turbines will meet 10% of the renewable energy target set by the Welsh Assembly.
Renewables in practice: Greenpeace supports offshore wind farm proposal in Swansea Bay
Posted by bex on 22 November 2003.
The developments at Scarweather Sands, off Rest Bay in Porthcawl provide an excellent example of the push towards renewable energy. It's an opportunity to highlight the advantages and dispel some of the myths surrounding the development of this new, clean alternative to fossil fuels.
Support for welsh wind farm over three times greater than opposition
Posted by bex on 3 November 2003.
Poll results reveal 3 times as many in favour of wind power
More than three times as many local residents support an offshore windfarm proposal in South Wales than oppose it, according to results of an independent poll carried out by ICM research.
Thousands of letters of supportwritten for Scarweather windfarm
Collecting support in Porthcawl
Almost 9,000 letters and e-postcards in support of the proposed Scarweather Sands windfarm in Swansea Bay have been sent to the Welsh Assembly ahead of the public inquiry into the development.
2,874 letters and 5,727 e-postcards have flooded in from supporters of clean, green renewable energy in South Wales. The letters have now all been submitted to the inquiry, while the number of e-postcards sent is growing by around 20 a day.
The sheer amount of mail is especially significant given the usual reluctance of people to write in support of a development, which means that such correspondence is often weighted heavier than letters against such proposals.
The inquiry, which is due to start on 4 November, will be taking place in Port Talbot and is expected to take about four weeks before passing on recommendations to the Welsh Assembly.
The e-postcards were also sent to the Welsh Tourist Authority, and featured pictures of seaside resorts that have been devastated by the effects of global warming - a threat that the Scarweather Sands windfarm will help to combat.
Natasha Richards from Greenpeace, who lives locally, said: "The thousands of letters and e-postcards prove that there is a huge amount of support for this windfarm and the clean, green energy that it will produce."
"We urgently need to move away from dirty forms of energy to combat the very real threat of climate change - and the Scarweather windfarm is a giant leap in the right direction."
The proposed windfarm will lie three miles off the coast of Porthcawl, and will produce enough electricity to supply 80,000 homes - equivalent to a town the size of Swansea.
Notes
Greenpeace is an independent campaigning group that does not stand to benefit financially from the proposed windfarm.
Scarweather Sands: Won't ruin the view
Offshore wind farm, oeresund
There has been some concern raised locally that the proposed wind farm would ruin the view of Swansea Bay. This is clearly a highly subjective issue. The nearest turbine will be 3 miles from shore and visible on the horizon like the mast of a tall ship. Being visible is not necessarily the same as being intrusive. While some people dislike turbines, others, including Greenpeace, see them as elegant and beautiful - symbols of a better, less polluted future. In comparison to nuclear, coal and gas power stations, or open cast mining, wind farms have relatively little visual impact.
Scarweather sands: no negative environmental impact
wind turbines at sunset
A crucial part of getting the go-ahead for any wind power proposal is an assessment of the potential environmental impacts that may occur. By law, the developer has to pay a consultant to assess these impacts. This process is called an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). It covers all stages of the development (building, operation, and decommissioning). The EIA looks at potential ecological effects and also any potential impacts on natural processes like coastal erosion, or on human activities such as fishing.
Scarweather Sands: The wind farm could boost the local economy
Offshore wind farm, oeresund
Scarweather Sands: turbines won't harm the surf
Posted by bex on 22 July 2003.
wind turbines at sea
This wind farm won't harm the surf. The waves at Porthcawl are powerful - they have travelled across the Atlantic. They also have a long average wavelength which means that they are physically big. To absorb or diffract any noticeable amount of their energy would take an enormous obstruction. The wind farm is simply not big enough to have a significant effect on the power of the waves. Even with the biggest of the foundations (concrete gravity foundations which use blocks around 3m high) the waves simply won't 'notice' that there is an obstruction. The turbines are so widely spaced (each one at least a third of a mile apart) that from the waves point of view over 98 % of the wind farm is just open sea!
Porthcawl is a significant surfing location and an important part of the UK surf scene and industry. The wind farm at Scarweather Sands will in no way undermine this. In fact it is part of an important shift to clean energy in the UK that will help tackle climate change (that threatens all our beaches) and marine pollution - so it is good for water users and the environment.