Gorran among ten sites earmarked for turbines
GORRAN could see two new turbines spring up as part of a Cornwall Council application for ten wind farms across the county.
On Wednesday, the Cornwall Council Cabinet approved recommendations to unlock funds to build turbines at ten possible sites on council-owned land.
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GREEN LIGHT: Wind farm sites, mostly approved, in the St Austell area.
They include two plots near Probus; Trevascus in Gorran; two near Helston; Jacobstow near Bude; Launceston; Bodmin; Trevease Constantine near Falmouth; and Menerdue Stithians near Redruth.
According to the report the Cabinet considered, an investment of £20 million on ten sites would pay back, on average, in around four years' time yielding a gross income of more than £5 million per year.
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About £16 million of this would be taxpayers' money.
The plans, reducing the authority's carbon footprint in line with national policy, have encountered strong opposition from anti-turbine campaign groups.
At Wednesday's meeting, Cabinet member Graeme Hicks said: "I do get fed up with Nimbys and the anti-turbine lobby all the time. This country will not have enough energy and lights will go out. Let's not whinge about it and let's just get on with it."
The Gorran site would feature two 225kW turbines, which Cornwall Council estimates would cost £900,000 and would return £439,130 gross revenue in their first year, saving 638 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.
Gorran Haven man Keith Oliver said the main response locally was one of "incredulity" at the notion that the county-wide investment could produce a £5 million per annum return.
"This was particularly voiced by those who have solar panels on their roofs and have experience of the feed-in tariffs," he said.
"The effect on the landscape did not provoke a great reaction either."
He added that people were generally open-minded about the efficiency of wind turbines.
Comments
by Olly_Gark
Friday, September 21 2012, 8:42AM
“More tax payer subsidised waste and environmental vandalism courtesy of the fat Freemason and his cabinet of cronies.
There is a petition concerning this here:
http://tinyurl.com/8sjffc4
Sad that we have to 'petition' because basic representative democracy has been abolished in favour of unelected diktat by the failed pub landlord and his cronies.
Why do our 'independent' members continue to shore up the fat man and his minority administration? Snouts in troughs, perhaps?”