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Wind farm Policy Launched to help Save Upland Bogs

For release 9 August 2001

The Irish Peatland Conservation Council have today issued a Policy Statement
in relation to windfarm development in upland areas, which has been sent to
county councils and government departments asking them to avoid siting wind
farms in sensitive, conservation worthy uplands.

There has been a recent upsurge in the development of wind farms across the
country. The major driving force behind this is the Department of Public
Enterprise's renewable energy strategy which aims to source 10.7% of
Ireland's electricity supply from wind energy by 2010, an initiative which
is fully support by the IPCC.

At present wind energy accounts for 2.3% of the Islands total energy
resource. There are 27 windfarms in operation in Ireland producing 155 MW,
the vast majority of these projects are located in upland areas.

The uplands have been targeted for these developments because average wind
speeds are higher compared with lowland situations. Windfarm developments
are generally accompanied by a considerable road infrastructure needed for
the servicing of the individual wind turbines.

Several windfarms are operational on sites that had an important nature
conservation value but were not yet designated as Special Areas of
Conservation (SAC's) or Natural Heritage Areas (NHA's). This is because
Dúchas has not completed a national survey of the uplands. Unfortunately
their conservation value was only recognised after planning applications had
been made.

Windfarms have been shown to cause serious damage to peatlands by
facilitating erosion due to hydrological and physical disturbance of the
peat. The potential impact on important bird species due to disturbance and
habitat fragmentation is also an important concern.

'Because upland areas have never been under development pressure in the past
Dúchas saw no immediate need to survey them. IPCC are calling on Dúchas to
complete the survey and designation of sites before wind energy projects
further erode our upland heritage' said Mr Patrick Crushell, Conservation
Officer with IPCC.

IPCC are calling on planners to dismiss any wind farm proposals in upland
designated as NHAs/SACs. Mr Crushell added that 'planners are presently in
the process of zoning areas for windfarm developments, and they have the
perfect opportunity to ensure the protection of conservation worthy upland
bogs by listing them as no-go areas for wind energy'.

A further concern for the IPCC is the way wind energy is purchased by the
state. The government offer contracts to operators on a competitive basis
which make it only viable for developers to locate windfarms in windy upland
areas that will produce a lot of wind energy. IPCC would like to see this
pricing structure changed so that developers would be encouraged to operate
in less sensitive areas at lower elevations.

Mr Crushell added that implementation of IPCC wind energy policy is crucial
if wind energy projects are to be considered as a truly 'green' way of
creating energy.

ends

Editors Note: Photograph available on request.

Full text of Wind Energy Policy is available on IPCC's website at http://www.ipcc.ie/currentissues12.html

____________________________________
Irish Peatland Conservation Council
119 Capel Street
Dublin 1
Ireland

Tel & Fax +353-1-8722397
Tel +353-1-8722384
e-mail: bogs@ipcc.ie
web: www.ipcc.ie

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