Letter to the Editor

 Dear Editor,

On October 21, Wales Economy Secretary Rebecca Evans told the Senedd debating chamber: “Wales has an onshore development pipeline of more than 5GW and a further 18GW through fixed and floating offshore wind.”

I have not read of a single Senedd Member who has pointed out the sheer insanity of this statement.

The 18GW offshore is crazy enough.

However, don’t they realise that 5GW onshore across Wales is 5000MW of installed wind capacity? Don’t they know what that means?

There are three huge wind turbines next to the B4333 at Blaen Bowi, Capel Iwan, near Newcastle Emlyn.

They are 252 feet tall and their installed capacity is 1.3MW each.

Therefore, Wales would need 3,846 of them.

The combined height of each would be 17 feet greater than

Nelson’s Column on top of the Angel of the North.

Another example is the current largest wind turbines on land in Wales; the 76 between Neath and Aberdare called Pen y Cymoedd wind farm.

They are 470 feet tall with an installed capacity of 3MW each. So it would need 1,666 of them.

Don’t our politicians know that Wales is only 8,015 square miles in area?

How on earth do they expect to install thousands of gigantic new wind turbines within 8,015 square miles?

Are they completely without common sense regarding numbers?

Imagine, 3,846 of the Capel Iwan machines entails one wind turbine 252ft high on every two square miles of Wales – including the streets of Cardiff, Swansea, Merthyr, Aberystwyth, Llandudno, Wrexham, Cwmtwrch (Upper and Lower) and every other town and village plus on every single Welsh farm and every national park.

One monster machine on every two square miles of Wales.

How intelligent and practical is that decision? Why has no Welsh politician pointed this out?

Furthermore, the graph on Gridwatch.co.uk proves that none of the wind turbines would generate anything at times and when they do work they would all be powering England, not Wales, because Pembroke CCGT power station, only

opened in 2011, more than powers Wales on its own.

This is complete and utter innumerate, impractical madness.

To add to the craziness, one of those three wind turbines at Capel Iwan burnt out in January and its broken blades still lie on the ground below, generating absolutely zilch all year.

I note that Eluned Morgan did not take Keir Starmer to Newcastle Emlyn to view that wind farm.

Lyn Jenkins,