West Somerset District Council have short-sightedly rejected the West Hinkley windfarm application. The windfarm, which would be sited next to the Hinkley nuclear power station, would generate enough electricity to power all 16,000 households in West Somerset, saving 60,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. This single windfarm would meet more than half of Somerset’s regional wind energy target for 2010. By failing to approve the application, the council has caved in to pressure from the nuclear lobby and failed to show any vision on climate change. The developers plan to appeal against the decision.

Rejection of the windfarm proposal is based on two spurious claims. First that there is a danger of a wind turbine blade breaking off and hitting the nuclear power plant. Independent risk analysis has shown this to be false.The council’s other objection on grounds of potential impact on the local bat population has also been shown to be without foundation, confirmed by the expert opinion of English Nature..

Greenpeace renewable energy campaigner Simon Clydesdale said “This is an appalling decision, by giving credence to these fallacious claims, the council has failed to grasp a major opportunity to provide a safe, clean energy future for the people of West Somerset. Instead it has shown itself to be in the pocket of the nuclear industry. The assertions of the nuclear lobby are absurd, they argue that nuclear power stations can withstand a terrorist attack but not the highly implausible instance of a turbine blade impact.”

“Climate change is the greatest threat we face today. By turning a blind eye to over 5,000 letters and postcards, plus a visual petition showing hundreds of supporters in favour of the West Hinkley windfarm, West Somerset Council has signally failed not only the local electorate but also future generations who may be faced with the catastrophic potential of climate change impacts.”

Climate change impacts kill 150,000 people every year (1) and there is no doubt that the UK is feeling the effects. Somerset and the rest of the UK face greater risk of flooding, coastal damage, storms and species loss driven by climate change (2). Wind energy enables the UK to generate electricity in a way that is clean, safe and renewable whilst cutting the carbon emissions that drive climate change, all without the long-term radioactive waste, massive costs, and ever-increasing security risks of nuclear energy.

This windfarm application is now likely to be decided on appeal by Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, the cabinet minister responsible for ensuring that 10% of UK electricity is generated by renewable energy by 2010, and for achieving the UK’s 2010 20% carbon reduction target.

Notes

1. World Health Organisation (2003) "Climate Change and Human Health – Risks and Responses".
2. SW Region Climate Change Impacts Scoping Study (2003), “Warming to the Idea: Meeting the challenge of climate change in the South West”.