Wind farm wins guarded go-ahead

Aug 9 2008 by Brian Daniel, The Journal

PLANS for a major wind farm in Northumberland were approved by the Government yesterday.

npower renewables’ proposal to erect 18 turbines, 125m high, at Middlemoor, North Charlton, near Alnwick, was given the go-ahead by Energy Secretary John Hutton.

But the wind farm cannot be erected until the energy giant comes up with a way to make sure the turbines do not affect RAF radar systems.

This follows an objection to the scheme from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), on the basis that the structures would interfere with the air defence radar at nearby Brizlee Wood and jeopardise national security.

npower renewables has been given five years to come up with a solution which must be cleared by the Secretary of State for Defence.

Last night, the company welcomed the approval and was confident of finding a solution to the defence issue.

Clare Wilson, its regional development manager, said: “We are very pleased as a company. Obviously it goes a way towards the Government’s renewable targets and our own renewable targets.

“We are now looking forward to working with the MoD to try and find a mitigation or a solution.”

The MoD said it is committed to working with npower renewables.

A spokesman said: “Air defence radar is essential to the defence of the country.

“We will need to be satisfied that the impact of any proposed wind farm does not compromise our national security.

“The MoD is committed to Government targets for renewable energy and whenever possible we seek to work with wind farm developers to find a mutually acceptable solution.”

Yet at a recent pre-inquiry meeting on proposals for turbines at a site near Middlemoor, Government planning inspector David Cullingford said developers given similar conditional approvals elsewhere in Britain have yet to find a way to mitigate the effect of turbines on air defence radars.

Last night, Nick Blezard, chairman of the Save Northumberland’s Environment (SANE) group which opposed the Middlemoor project, said the Government’s approval was effectively a refusal given the difficulties of finding ways round the radar issue.

He said: “This wind farm is not approved. They cannot do anything with it until they have sorted out the Brizlee radar problem.

“This is the government spinning.”

“We will need to be satisfied that the impact of any proposed wind farm does not compromise our national security.”