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***** NEWS FLASH Beauly - Denny application now in (item 7)
***** REVOLT AGM 21 October (item 9)
1. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has published an
interesting short paper dated 2-9-05 called "Windfarm agreements - who
has the power?" by David McCartney of Brodies LLP. The paper outlines
the likely windfarm developers' approach and the pitfalls for unwary
landowners. The overall message is to consider long term implications
and not be distracted by short term gains. Although different from
powerlines wayleaves and easements, windfarm agreements seem no less
tricky for the landowner up against the large experienced company.
2. The Knabs Ridge Wind Farm proposed adjoining the Nidderdale AONB has
been recommended for approval by a DTI Inspector on appeal against
Harrogate DC's refusal (APPENDIX 1). Perhaps this is an indication of
the determination of national government to over-ride local objections
to windfarms.
3. DTI has issued its SIXTH REPORT: DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY:
RENEWABLE ENERGY (HC 413), on 15.9.05 (APPENDIX 2). The Chairman of
the Public ACCOUNTS Committee has said that the implied 6.5 billion
pound subsidy by 2010 which does not receive annual scrutiny by
Parliament is not acceptable.
4. DTI has issued a note "Wind Power: 10 myths explained" on its web
site. This strikes me as one of the most blatant pieces of one-sided
yah-boo political propaganda I have seen. The Orwellian oppression of it
is really quite sickening. It uncritically promotes wind farms, uses
selected references and selectively quotes others. Oh for something
even handed, setting out the pros and cons impartially. I won't grace
this awful propaganda with a blow by blow response, but will just
mention one of the milder features - the first "myth" which is stated as
"Turbines are taking over the countryside". DTI writes only of the
direct land take: "less than 1/20,000th of the UK (800-1,200 hectares)
would be used for foundations and access roads". And that would be by
2010. But the direct land take would be only hundreds of square metres
per turbine. The visual impact would cover hundreds of square kilometres
per turbine - a million times more! Even allowing for overlap of
individual turbine visual impacts (a factor of perhaps 10 to 100) that
leaves an aggregate visual impact of the order of half the UK. It is no
myth that government policy implications for wind farms would, visually
at least, be the largest single visual impact on the countryside over
the next ten years and would transform and dominate its visual aspect
across most of the country.
5. BBC online news 14.9.05 reports a £10.6m scheme to remove overhead
power lines to improve the countryside in the East and South East of
England has been proposed by EDF Energy. The five-year programme will
see EDF look at the installation of underground cables in Areas of
Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). This will be for burying lower
voltage (wood pole) distribution lines, as the small amount of money
would not go very far with burying high voltage lines. Ofgem's latest
distribution price control required several electricity companies to
invest more in their infrastructure to improve security after recent
prolonged outages.
6. Sir Digby Jones, head of the CBI, has warned of fuel crisis this
winter (APPENDIX 3). In its Consultation on Winter 2005/06, National
grid had indicated that even a severe winter should be within the scope
of industrial demand management, thus avoiding general power cuts.
7. Highland Council announces that the application for the Beauly -
Denny line has been made formally by the electricity companies to the
Scottish Executive on Friday 30 September. Copies of all the
documentation will be available for inspection at Council offices,
Service Points and libraries in the area covered by the application on
and from Wednesday 5th October, 2005. Members of the public have until
12th December, 2005 to send their letters of representation to the
Scottish Executive. The Highland Council would welcome copies of
representations to be sent to: John Rennilson, Director Planning and
Development, The Highland Council, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness IV3 5NX.
However at October 1st the web site
shows no sign of it, having last been updated on 25 July. BBC Scotland
are to visit the Newby - Nunthorpe underground cable site in Teesside
tomorrow.
8. The National Trust for Scotland (called Scotland in Trust) has
submitted a critical response to Scottish Hydro Transmission Ltd over
various options for transmitting power from wind farm on the Isle of
Lewis, including the proposed Beauly - Denny line. They say that
renewable energy in Scotland should be subject to strategic
environmental assessment and that transmission proposals should not be
considered separately from major wind farm proposals. Similar and
related views have also been put forward by Revolt (e.g. news184.1,
191.1, 195.2, 195.3 and 195.4).
9. The Revolt AGM is scheduled for Friday 21 October. The venue is to
be announced - it is expected to be a low-key AGM and it would be
helpful if members would let me know as soon as possible if they are
likely to attend.
10. David Clarke, Chairman of Hambleton CPRE and a leading engineer,
has analysed the feasibility of small scale wind turbines for domestic
use. Using the manufacturers own estimation of output, under financial
and usage conditions most favourable to wind generation, and allowing a
2500W turbine although it would be fifty feet tall, the analysis shows
that even with the current level of nearly 50% subsidy the units come
nowhere near covering the interest cost of the hardware involved at
current electricity (domestic) prices. He says the capital and running
costs of such installations are crippling and they do not come anywhere
near helping our objective of providing an eyesore free competitively
priced consistent energy supply.
*****
*****
APPENDIX 1 Wind farm in the Yorkshire Dales allowed on appeal
A planning inspector has given the go-ahead to an eight-turbine wind
farm on the edge of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
in the Yorkshire Dales, which was opposed by the planning
authority, Harrogate Borough Council.
The inspector agreed that the power renewable project would "have
some harmful effects on the landscape and in other visual respects",
but concluded that the requirement to meet "national policy" on
green energy and the "pressing need" for new renewable generation
in North Yorkshire justified the Knabs Ridge Wind Farm close to the
Nidderdale AONB.
The inspector also concluded that any adverse impact on the
operations of the Leeds Bradford International Airport would be
"minor".
In his decision letter the inspector listed a number of urban and
man-made developments in the vicinity (the A59, an army training
college, a holiday caravan site and the Menwith Hill base).
He said the area "is not as tranquil or remote as, say, some of the
moorlands of Yorkshire or other places in the Pennines; and the
turbines would not be as alien or out of character as they might be in
a more remote, tranquil or scenically unspoiled area."
John Ainslie, head of consents for Npower renewables said the
scheme would "make a valuable contribution towards the fight
against global warming. Existing wind farms in the UK enjoy very
high levels of local support and I have no doubt that Knabs Ridge
Wind Farm will also became an accepted feature of the local
landscape."
Richard Cooper, the council?s cabinet member responsible for
planning, complained the decision flew in the face of common sense.
He said: "For a government inspector to come to our district and
ignore all the good planning reasons why these towering metal
structures should not be allowed is a smack in the face to local
people and the local council."
Roger Milne
9 September 2005
*****
*****
APPENDIX 2 SIXTH REPORT: DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY:
RENEWABLE ENERGY (HC 413), 15 SEPTEMBER 2005
Mr Edward Leigh MP, Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts, said
today:
"Renewable energy comes at a price. The government's target is to have
10% of our electricity generated from renewable sources by 2010. But, by
then, the scheme for rapidly expanding the supply of renewable energy,
the
Renewables Obligation, will be adding £1 billion a year to electricity
prices
and will have cost consumers at least £5 billion. The expansion of
distribution
and transmission capacity required to meet the 10% target will add
another £
1.5 billion - also to be shouldered by consumers. Consumers are
providing a
massive subsidy to the renewables industry. But, unlike public
expenditure,
this subsidy does not receive annual scrutiny by Parliament. This is
unacceptable.
"The future of renewable energy is uncertain. The government certainly
needs to act in two crucial areas. It must start to target subsidy at
the
technologies which need it in order to have a genuine prospect of
becoming
commercially viable. The government will also fail to meet its long-term
emissions targets unless it gives serious thought to how it is going to
find
enough green energy to fill the gap left when the low-carbon energy
generated by current nuclear power stations is no longer available."
Mr Leigh was speaking as the Committee published its 6th Report of this
Session,
which examined initiatives put in place by the Department of Trade and
Industry to
promote the generation of electricity from renewable sources.
The Government's energy policy and wider climate change programme aims
to
increase the proportion of electricity generated from renewable sources,
such as
wind, wave and biomass. The Government's target is to supply 10% of
Britain's
electricity from renewable sources by 2010, with the aspiration of
doubling this share
to 20% by 2020. The aims of these levels of renewable generation are to
make a
significant contribution to national and international targets for
reducing carbon dioxid
e emissions, while improving the diversity and security of the UK's
energy supplies.
In the period to 2020, however, the contribution of renewables to these
aims could be
offset by the planned closure of most of the UK's existing nuclear power
stations.
To achieve the rapid expansion in renewable energy required by the 2010
target, the
Department of Trade and Industry (the Department) introduced in April
2002 the
Renewables Obligation. The Obligation requires all electricity suppliers
to source a
growing percentage of their sales each year from renewable sources. The
scheme
pushes up the demand for renewable energy, thus increasing the revenue
that
generators can earn which in turn encourages developers to invest in new
generating capacity. Electricity suppliers pass the higher cost of
purchasing
renewable electricity on to consumers. The Renewables Obligation will
cost
consumers £1 billion per annum by 2010 rising to £1.5 billion per annum
by 2015.
The Renewables Obligation is more expensive than the other mechanisms
currently
being used under the Climate Change Programme to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions. These include promoting energy efficiency through the Climate
Change
Levy, which is paid by non-household consumers of energy, and
controlling the
carbon dioxide emissions of key industries through emissions trading
schemes. The
expense of the Obligation reflects the high cost of renewable generation
and poor
targeting of the scheme - around a third of the funds exceed the support
needed by
generators. The Department hopes that funding investment in renewables
now will
reduce future generating costs and thus the cost of each tonne of carbon
dioxide
saved. It has not established measures or targets to track the
industry's progress in
reducing costs, however, and consumers will not necessarily benefit if
generating
costs do fall.
The Department is working to remove barriers to the achievement of the
2010 target,
but this work is imposing further financial and non-financial burdens.
Support to
develop new and emerging renewables technologies and the cost of
upgrading the
electricity grid, so that it can carry the renewable energy generated,
is likely to total £
2 billion or more in the period to 2010. New planning guidelines,
introduced in 2004,
seek to increase the proportion of successful planning applications for
renewable
sites and will reduce the influence of local communities on planning
decisions.
*****
*****
APPENDIX 3 Britain set to run out of fuel warns CBI boss
Tue 27 Sep 2005
This article: http://www.scotsman.com/?id=1998912005
Sir Digby Jones, head of CBI, has warned of low reserves.
JAMES KIRKUP
WESTMINSTER EDITOR
Key points
* CBI boss says fuel shortages could force staff lay-offs and business
closures
* Energy Minister admits Britain has only 11 days-worth of gas reserves
* Met Office issues 'amber alert' to government contingency planners
Key quote
"If we have a cold winter, we are going to throw the switch, businesses
will
shut down, people will lose their jobs" - Sir Digby Jones, director-
general
of the Confederation of British Industry
Story in full BUSINESSES could be forced to close down and lay off
workers
this winter because the country's energy reserves are so low, the
director-general of the CBI warned yesterday.
"If we have a cold winter, we are going to throw the switch, businesses
will
shut down, people will lose their jobs," Sir Digby Jones said.
"If we don't sort out our decrepit supply system, we are, this winter,
going
to run out of fuel."
According to the CBI, Britain has only 11 days' gas held in reserve to
power
industrial users during a hard winter. In comparison, other European
countries keep an average of 55 days in reserve.
His warning came as the Met Office yesterday issued an "amber alert" to
contingency planners in the government - including the NHS and Highways
Agency - and in the energy industry to prepare for a "colder than
average
winter".
The UK energy minister Malcolm Wickes admitted the truth in Sir Digby's
words at a fringe meeting of the Labour conference in Brighton attended
by
both men. Mr Wickes conceded that industry could be badly hit by an
unusually cold winter.
Sir Digby last night told The Scotsman that Britain's historical
position as
a net exporter of energy, coupled with government red tape, had left the
country poorly prepared for a cold season.
Until recently, Britain was a net exporter of gas from the North Sea,
and
because that gas was nearby and on tap, less effort went into
constructing
gas reserve stations, experts say.
Now, Britain is becoming a net importer of natural gas, much of it from
Russia, yet, as ministers admitted yesterday, the UK still lacks proper
reserve capacity.
Many of the UK's current generation of electricity generators are gas-
fired,
and their output would be curtailed by any shortfall in gas supplies.
Because domestic electricity users are always given priority over
commercial
customers, there is no realistic chance of even the worst winter
affecting
households.
But, as Mr Wickes admitted, most businesses have "interruptible"
contracts
with their energy suppliers, meaning that they would be the first to be
hit
by any energy shortage.
"We could have a tight winter," said Mr Wickes. "This is not about
shutting
off domestic customers, but there could be problems for industry."
Mr Wickes said that responsibility for any energy reserve problems lay
with
industry. Companies, he said, had been "a little slow" in investing in
reserve capacity.
But Sir Digby insisted that government planning officials were
ultimately to
blame for obstructing companies' attempts to prepare for the
long-anticipated decline in North Sea reserves.
"Since 2003, many local authorities have denied planning permission to
build
new storage capacity, and when industry has appealed those decisions and
taken them to central government in Whitehall, [Deputy Prime Minister]
John
Prescott's office has refused as well," Sir Digby said.
Warnings of potential power interruptions are not confined to industry.
Earlier this month, Prospect, a trade union whose members include
engineers,
scientists and other energy specialists, warned that predicted low
temperatures mean "there is a very real threat this could be the winter
our
luck runs out".
Alan Johnson, the Industry Secretary and Mr Wickes' boss, tried to
downplay
the warnings last night, insisting there was only a one-in-50 chance of
a
winter cold enough to exhaust reserves. "And even if it happens, there
is no
risk to domestic supplies," he said.
But even Mr Johnson admitted that there was a "problem" with reserve
capacity, though he promised: "That is going to change."
Sir Digby also called on the government urgently to launch a debate
about
nuclear power.
"The government never seems to take the energy debate to the consumer -
they
take it to business all the time. We have to have a proper debate about
whether we need nuclear power."
* "Clean" carbon technologies provide better value for money than new
nuclear power stations, Eliot Morley, the environment minister has said.
Ministers must decide during this parliament whether to replace
Britain's
nuclear plants, which supply about 20 per cent of UK electricity.
"Nuclear plants are expensive and if you're looking at the energy mix,
then
at the moment I think you'll probably get more value from investment in
clean coal," Mr Morley said.
*****
*****
--
Mike O'Carroll