BWEA: Vestas crisis shows that wind farm nimbyism doesn’t pay
Friday 31 July 2009
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| Vestas is looking to manufacture turbine blades closer to the US, which it sees as a bigger onshore wind market |
The closure of the Vestas wind turbine factory in the Isle of Wight has highlighted the economic benefits of a vibrant wind energy industry and shown how nimbyism can stand in its way, the British Wind Energy Association said today
(July 31 2009), writes Rachel Johnson.
And, DECC secretary of state Ed Miliband has also voiced concerns about planning delays being a factor in the Vestas decision. In contrast, a councillor in North Dorset, which recently rejected proposals for the Silton wind farm, has emphasised the public mistrust about wind farms.
A spokesman for the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) told NewEnergyFocus that the publicity surrounding the closure of Vestas' Isle of Wight plant had outlined the issues for the general public. He said: "There is now a direct correlation between nimbyism and the curtailment of the economic benefits of wind power."
The BWEA stance comes after wind turbine manufacturer Vestas attempted, and failed, to obtain a court's permission to remove 20 workers currently occupying its Isle of Wight factory, which is due to close this month.
The Danish company announced in April that it would shut the turbine blade factory in Newport, with the loss of 600 jobs, because the UK market was too small to justify keeping the plant open - and the firm cited the UK's planning system, which sees many wind farm proposals rejected, as the main obstacle to the growth of the market.
Employment
The BWEA said that the headlines generated by the closure of the plant, the ensuing strike and occupation, and the effects of the loss of 600 jobs on the Isle of Wight economy will finally show the public that opposition to wind farms in the planning system does impact on employment.
The spokesman said: "A positive factor of this unfortunate crisis is that the public are now aware of the fact that the opposition to wind farms is affecting the economic opportunities available to this country."
He added that people had historically been "ill-disposed towards wind", as demonstrated during the 1990s, when investors first began looking to put money in wind power, where the slow planning system all but cut off investment in the industry.
The Association considers that the UK must be especially aware of the economic impact of the wind industry, when Round Three - the third cycle of the government's offshore wind programme - goes into planning.
Miliband
Meanwhile, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband agreed that the planning system was impeding the growth of the wind industry, blaming Tory councils for blocking wind farm applications.
We are unlikely to be a centre for onshore wind production if applications are consistently turned down
In a letter to Labour supporters, he said: "Their biggest difficulty is with planning objections to onshore wind turbines, which have slowed down the growth in the UK market. We are unlikely to be a centre for onshore wind production if applications are consistently turned down. Analysis in the Guardian on Monday reported that Tory councils have blocked 70% of proposals for onshore wind schemes."
Local authority
But Brian Anderson, conservative councillor for North Dorset district council, which recently voted to reject the 12MW Silton wind farm near Gillingham (see this NewEnergyFocus story), said that the public was not convinced of the efficiency of wind power.
"I'm not sure about the efficiency of wind power, it needs to be proved to the public, and at the moment the statistical evidence is not there. That is the general feeling throughout the country, and unless the government starts making all the decisions on wind farms, then I think the trend will continue."
He added: "I feel desperately sorry for those 600 people on the Isle of Wight who have lost their jobs, but the question is, would one of them want a wind turbine in their back yard?"
Vestas
Vestas told NewEnergyFocus that the firm was preparing for a second court hearing on August 4 2009 in an attempt to "gain possession of our own land".
Vestas' spokesman added: "At Vestas we are patient people, and this is an unfortunate situation for everyone."
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