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Post by joepublic on Jul 30, 2013 13:18:26 GMT
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Post by mefein on Aug 16, 2013 8:00:29 GMT
Hi all, just a short piece of information re. Windfarms and what is being planned. Greenwire (Element Power) currently have plans for 150 Turbines in West Kildare. They are conducting studies at the moment for selection of suitable sites in the Kildangan area. They are also looking at sites North of Monasterevin. Unfortunately, despite a number of requests they are unwilling to provide a detailed map or provide information on the site selection process. There is a small scale map on their website. From this it is possible to determine some of the study areas, such as Fasagh, Derryoughter, Riverstown, Mylerstown, Clarey etc etc. Landowners have already signed options in the above and in other townlands allowing Greenwire on to their land to conduct studies. The turbines themselves, at 185 meters in height are among the tallest in the world. This is three times taller than Liberty Hall in Dublin. Or put it another way, if you put the Spire on top of Liberty Hall, this would be the height. At the moment the minimum setback from a house is 500 metres, which is based on guidelines issued in 1996. The project will bypass the normal planning process and be referred straight to An Bord Pleanala. This is due to the scale of the project, because as well as the 150 for Kildare the are planning 150 each for counties Laois, Westmeath, Meath and Offaly to make a total of 750. This is the Greenwire project. A second company, Mainstream also has plans in the pipeline to install a similar scheme, using the same height of turbine. The power that is generated is solely for export to the UK. There will be no connection to the Irish Grid. The reason for installing these wind farms in Ireland is due to the fact that turbines and wind farms are meeting greater resistance in the UK, due to issues such as noise, visual amenity and property values. Element Power have stated that it's easier to get planning permission in Ireland. The company involved in the project is secretive in the extreme. Landowners that sign options are not allowed speak in opposition to the project, tell anyone they have signed or oppose the company plans in any way. Landowners who sign get €1000 to €2000 per year. The initial option is for a period of five years, which can be extended to ten at the companies discretion. If at any time during the option period the wind farm gets planning approval the contract kicks in, which can be for a period of up to 60 years. A public meeting was held in Kildangan on Wednesday 14th August to discuss these proposals. Over 160 people attended, the vast majority from the area. There were a number of presentations covering issues such as health, noise, property values and the landowner contracts. Greenwire were invited to attend and refused. They did make a statement and one of their points was that there were six public informaton days regarding this project. The Kildare meeting was held in Derrinturn, which is 40KM from Kildangan. They had 60 people present at the Derrinturn meeting which was between 2pm and 6pm. Following the presentations the overwhelming feeling was against the proposals. A large number of public representatives were in attendance, again following the meeting their views were largely in opposition. Some of them had expressed support for the project prior to the meeting as they had been presented with information from Greenwire. Have no doubt that this is a huge project on a vast scale. It has been described by the economist Colm McCarthy as a second NAMA. We are currently forming a group in opposition to this project as we feel it will ruin peoples lives, the landscape and and indeed the entire Midlands for generations to come. If you would like to get involved or would like more information you can contact 086 0721232 or else post a message to myself. Short Article in Irish ExaminerEffects on Property
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Post by joepublic on Aug 16, 2013 14:51:05 GMT
It's not much money for the landowners for all they have to give away.
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Post by mefein on Aug 16, 2013 15:06:25 GMT
The figure of €1000 to €2000 is for signing the option contract and agreeing to stay quiet. Once the windfarm gets built the receive €18,000 per turbine per year. Out of that figure they play VAT at 23% and then tax at 52%, so it works out at about €8000 per turbine per year. They also get a certain percentage depending on how much power the turbine produces. It's not a lot considering everything that could go wrong in the 60 years that the contract could be place.
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Post by rightsoted on Aug 17, 2013 22:41:44 GMT
......"ah now me fine fellows if you will enlist".....i said it here before folks....the kings shilling is very enticing at this point in time, to many......but i'd be more worried about the govt's vat and tax thinking of a 75% return on this venture....as mefein has pointed out.........
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forester
Full Member
''yipee'' i'm through
Posts: 1,252
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Post by forester on Aug 18, 2013 6:27:52 GMT
i cannot see the sense in this ''windfarm system''. irish people let england put windfarm yoke's onto their (irish) soil. for england to sit in their cheaply powered house's. while us irish people can't use them, but still have to put up with the sight of them and maybe sound. not long ago our fore-father's were fighting for ireland to be re-united and here you are thinking of giving some back. i know it will still be irish land-but english machinery for england alone.
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Post by mefein on Aug 18, 2013 8:57:36 GMT
Some more background information;
Independent (UK) 9th October 2012 : UK Ministers are investigating a proposal to outsource the production of wind power to Ireland.
Faced with fervent and growing opposition to onshore wind farms in the UK, Tory MPs are backing a plan to site those facilities in Ireland – and then export the renewable energy generated back to Britain using cables running under the Irish Sea, to Wales.
A company has already sourced land to build more than 700 turbines in countryside to the west of Dublin. They would have the capacity to supply power for more than three million homes by the end of the decade – the equivalent of 10 per cent of the UK's renewable energy targets.
More importantly, such a development could take the pressure off the need for many more wind farms in the British countryside and save David Cameron from the wrath of his back-benchers who are in revolt at the Government's current plans. The scheme, called Greenwire, is the brainchild of an American company called Element Power.
It says it has already got the backing of the Irish government for its scheme, which could be up and running by 2018.
It says the Irish have a less reactionary attitude to onshore wind turbine developments than the British and points out that it would provide significant economic developments to the republic, while solving the UK Government's political conundrum. "From the Tory side, this is something that addresses their concerns about further onshore wind farm development, while at the same time bringing them closer to green growth," said Mike O'Neill, the president of Element Power. "And in Ireland people appear to be less concerned about the construction of wind farms and place greater emphasis on the economic growth they can bring."
So far the sticking point appears to be the need for British ministers to agree with their Irish counterparts that renewable energy generated in Ireland can count towards the UK's renewable energy targets. Earlier this year the Irish Energy Minister, Pat Rabbitte, and his UK counterpart, Charles Hendry, agreed a formal Memorandum of Understanding on renewable energy trading between the two countries to be in place by the end of the year. Such an agreement would need to be written into the Energy Bill currently going through Parliament. The company has met Ed Davey, the Climate Change Secretary, and this week will meet a series of Tory ministers and MPs to press its case. Coalition tensions over green issues have increased since last month's reshuffle. Owen Patterson, who has campaigned against wind farms in his own constituency, is believed to have clashed with Mr Davey on Coalition policy.
It comes after more than 100 Conservative back-benchers wrote to the Prime Minister earlier this year demanding he dramatically cut" the £400m in annual subsidies paid to onshore wind developers. But what is yet untested is the reaction of the Irish people to the plan. Wind may be an unlimited resource but the countryside is not and some experts predict resentment of what could be perceived as a fresh British land-grab.
I would urge people to get involved as the more people that oppose this scheme the less chance it has of success. If you would like to become involved you can contact 086 0721232 or else post a message to myself. You should also let your local representative know your feelings.
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Post by mefein on Aug 19, 2013 9:13:15 GMT
Another concern expressed at the meeting was with regard to horses. There are a lot of training and breeding establishments in the Kildangan area. These horses are very highly strung and take flight at the least disturbance. If a shadow from a wind turbine crosses the horses line of sight this is likely to make the horses take off at a rate of knots injuring himself and possibly the jockey. Tony McCoy in the UK put plans on hold for a racing stables in Baydon Meadows until planning permission was refused. There is also a study linking the presences of wind turbines to foot deformities in newborn foals in Portugal. When you start adding up fictitious figures for jobs in the wind farm industry you should also include a figure for actual job losses in the horse racing industry should one or more of these establishments relocate.
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Post by ballyboy on Aug 20, 2013 22:21:49 GMT
They may put them all in Derroughter so, no horses down there, any opinion on the Dump lads ??
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Post by darchangel on Aug 21, 2013 11:19:11 GMT
They may put them all in Derroughter so, no horses down there, any opinion on the Dump lads ?? What or where is Derroughter Ballboy ? Lets not get distracted from the wind farm issue on this thread. Start another thread for dump discussion if you want to garner opinions on that tpic. Its all going off around here it would appear. I notice an increasing number of ESB ORVs parked in Supervalu before 9am. Wish to ged someone in authority would come out and tell us exactly whats happening. Ive emailed Jack Wall twice and <SILENCE>.
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Post by ballyboy on Aug 21, 2013 13:02:29 GMT
I did start a thread regarding the dump, but it would appear it would need to be an English man/woman/company involved to get the high horse's saddled, Derryoughter is an area that runs from the Athy road just outside kildangan back to the river barrow
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Post by darchangel on Aug 21, 2013 22:36:46 GMT
www.epaw.org/multimedia.php?lang=en&article=ns51Short CBS documentary from States on effects of noise. Listen to the sound modulation played by doctor and extrapolate to a 200m turbine. All in all, judging by what I'm reading, this is a potential health disaster waiting to happen. From what these people are saying, the science claims behind the effects of turbine sound on health are unproven and these companies are effectively experimenting on the public. Currently they (activists) are trying to change the law in Denmark - home of the turbine - so closest a turbine can be built to a home is 4* height of turbine, e.g. 4*200m = 800m. Sounds good to me. www.epaw.org/multimedia.php?lang=en&article=news11 - view from the UK. hmmm www.epaw.org/documents/EPAW_s_submission_to_the_Republic_of_Ireland.pdf ---> my complaint re behaviour of the authorities here in Ireland is mirrored in this report. The gov. have tried to embalm the consultation process in secrecy and obfuscation. Why I wonder ? Why not come out and give us a nuanced view of the entire project ? Quote from the report "We would also like to point out that we find absolutely disgraceful the manner in which, repeatedly, our members are being denied access to information on the environment, e.g. to the cost-benefit analysis for the Midlands power export scheme" hmmm Anyone got any positive messages for us about this entire process ? I can only find negative stories (or maybe I'm just a "moaning NIMBY")
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Post by mefein on Aug 26, 2013 16:56:55 GMT
There is no positive message. The entire process is, as you state, shrouded in secrecy and rotten to the core. A few people at the top will get rich, the landowners will be made to look like fools and the rest of us will be left with an environmental disaster. Tim Cowhig, the CEO of Element Power sought nomination for Fine Gael in Cork South West in the last election. Brendan Halligan, is currently the Chairman of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. He is also a director of Mainstream Renewable Power. Halligan invested €500,000 in Mainstream in 2008. This would be akin to the financial regulator sitting on the board of AIB or Bank of Ireland. Another clear conflict of interest. He also was Chairman of Bord na Mona, another player in wind energy. Link to Article. This Windfarm fiasco has the makings of a second Mahon Tribunal. I was always in favour of wind energy as I was lead to believe that it was a clean source of energy. However the more you look into the issues surrounding it, and the characters involved, the more you realise that it's just a money making scheme for a couple of old cronies. There is absolutely no transparency or ethical standards in the people or companies involved.
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Post by darchangel on Aug 27, 2013 14:05:52 GMT
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Post by mefein on Aug 27, 2013 15:43:17 GMT
There will be a Public Meeting in Kildangan Hall on Wednesday 4th September at 8pm to form a committee to fight Element Powers Greenwire Plans to turbanise the Midlands. Following on from Kildangan Community Development Associations initial information meeting there was widespread opposition and alarm expressed at the scale of the proposed development. As Greenwire have stated this week that their initial plan to lodge a planning application in Quarter One of 2014 is still on track, it is imperative that anyone who is against these plans comes along on the night and gets involved. Time is tight as Element seem to want to lodge their planning application prior to the release of the new guidelines in late 2014. Please feel free to share this as the more people who come along the easier it will be.
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