Wind Power Boost
Wed., June 10, 2009. 12:30.
Wind plans mean nuclear and coal plants could close early
Greens today welcomed the announcement from Iberdrola, owners of Scottish Power, of plans for five more substantial wind farms to follow their success at Whitelee, Europe's largest wind project. (1) The industry estimates that suitably located projects on this scale could produce 18% of Scotland's electricity (2), and Greens argue this would allow the early closure of polluting and unsustainable nuclear and coal plants.
Patrick Harvie MSP said:
Five more well-located wind farms on the scale of Whitelee would provide almost a fifth of all Scotland's electricity, more than enough to allow both Hunterston and Cockenzie power stations to be closed down. This would be the most substantial step yet towards greening Scotland's power supply and cutting household bills for the long term.
Scottish Ministers must now work with Iberdrola to help identify sensible locations, taking account of community views, then make sure these vital plans are not derailed by nimbyism and nuclear spin. The SNP say they want Scotland to lead the world on clean energy, but have so far failed to deliver. Helping this plan become a reality would start to restore their tarnished environmental reputation, but we also need to see urgent measures to cut down on wasted energy and to let communities generate their own energy locally.
Notes
1. Whitelee is expected to have an installed capacity of 600MW once complete. See: Whitelee press release
Contact the Scottish Greens' press team on 07909 933 074.