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Reaping the storm
Sarah Young
In February, Comhairle nan
Eilean Siar (the Western Islands
Council) approved plans for a
giant "wind factory" with 181
super-size 140meter-high turbines on the north west of the
Isle of Lewis.
With another planned 57 turbines on the island, this would
mean a 40-mile stretch of wind
turbines across the island, making it the largest wind farm in
Europe.
The top-left-hand corner of
the British Isles might seem like
an ideal spot in which to tuck
away such a wind farm. But for
those who live there, the Western Isles are the heart of their
universe.
Polls suggest that most people
on Lewis and Harris are opposed
to the wind farm. The development represents a fundamental
change in how the land will look
and feel.
There are concerns about the
environmental impact on the
ancient peatlands from the creation of concrete foundations
and the building of over 100km
of new roads.
The opposition of local group
"Moorland without Turbines"
(www.mwtlewis.org.uk) could
be written off as pure NIMBY-ism (Not In My Back Yard-ism)
from people who prefer green,
but aren't prepared to pay the price.
However, the corporation
behind the proposal, AMEC,
delivers and manages oil, gas
and nuclear operations and projects around the world, including
Heathrow's fifth terminal and
Public Finance Initiative hospital projects in England.
Benefits
AMEC is expected to make year-
ly profits of £100 million from
the project. Lewis people are
negotiating with its "local" subsidiary/front, Lewis Wind Power
Ltd, for substantial rentals and
community benefits.
New land reform laws passed
by the Scottish Parliament have
enabled a community buyout of
the Galson Estate on Lewis. This
will allow local crofters to
directly benefit from up to £6
million per year, out of AMEC's
profits. None of this will com-
pare with the "black gold" deals
struck by the Shetland Islands during the North Sea oil bonanza.
What's more, whilst the four-year build of turbines and infrastructure will create 400 jobs,
less than 40 workers will be
required to manage the wind
farm long term.
But, with a dwindling island
economy, Lewis is in danger of
terminal decline, resulting in an
island-style old folks' home,
staffed by young people on benefits. Any money seems good
money right now.
The big picture
The UK must aim towards all
power being sourced from non-carbon and non-nuclear options
over the next two decades.
Currently, the government
"aspires" to a 20% cut by 2020,
without ruling out nuclear power. A
truly pathetic commitment.
In this context, realistic Lewis
people, along with the rest of us,
know that the wind farms are
probably coming, like it or not.
The Scottish Nationalists,
now the biggest party in the
Scottish parliament, have said
that they will take into account
the 16,000 objections lodged
against the Lewis wind farm
when decisions are taken.
But, with Labour Party support for the development, it
seems likely that only changes
in the marketplace will prevent
AMEC from going ahead.
Power
There isn't just an energy crisis,
or a climate change crisis. There
is a crisis of control over our nat-
ural resources and over decision-making about their use.
There is an urgent need to
take control and responsibility
away from profit-making companies like AMEC and towards
us, so that we can decide what
we produce, by what means, and
assess the true cost of change.
The generosity of people like
those on Lewis and Harris mustn't be taken for granted. Let's
hope they don't live to rue the
day they lived on a land where
the wind could be harvested.
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