It is concerning that Journalists and their Newspapers and Politicians continue to fall for the false hype issued in Press Releases by Renewable Energy developers. Recent reports concerning giant erratic Wind Turbines proposed for the Bryn area above Maesteg / Port Talbot are claimed to produce enough energy to supply electricity for 85,700 homes. That may be the case in exceptionally favourable windy weather, but Government says they are only 23% effective on average, so that figure on average over a year is 19,711 homes. Not only that, these developers conveniently ‘forget’ to mention that only 37% of the Grid supplies domestic consumers. Our factories and heavy industry and Schools and hospitals and offices etc consume 63% of the Grid. So that means that the number of houses this scheme could power on average over a year is just 7,293. A vast difference.
Coriolis are acting for the main developer which is the Irish ESB, which was established as a statutory corporation under the Irish Electricity (Supply) Act 1927 to deliver an Irish national electricity system. With a holding of 96.9 per cent, ESB is majority-owned by the Irish Government and the remaining 5 percent held by the trustees of an Employee Share Ownership Plan. So this in reality is the Irish State coming to Wales to take advantage of Subsidies in the UK. We the UK public pay for those subsidies as Green Levies on our Energy Bills. So effectively we will be paying a ‘Tax’ to maintain Public Services in the Republic of Ireland.
To add to the intrigue this giant erratic wind turbine complex proposal is to be next door to the Afan Valley’s much hailed proposed massive holiday Wildfox Resort with plans for a £250m adventure resort in Port Talbot’s Afan Valley with a 50-bed hotel, spa, restaurant, viewing area, 570 lodges and biking and walking trails. Are these two huge schemes compatible slapped next door to each other for tourists to wander through a forest of Irish wind turbines in Wales?
I. Richard, Craigcefnparc, Swansea.
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