Is the wind farm too big?

It seems from Facebook posts that most of the people who support the proposed wind farm on Mynydd Maen Common would support a scheme of any size, in any place, they are green and are ready to call anyone who even suggests that wind farm proposals should be questioned a “NIMBY”.

The largest turbine in England, 150m high, the same size as the 13 proposed on Mynydd Maen. This turbine is community owned and is on an industrial estate in Avonmouth, situated between a giant scrapyard and a power station.

This development is huge, with 13 massive turbines (each as big as the largest solitary turbine in England) that will be built on the highest mountainside around, overlooking Cwmbran.

The proposed turbines are 150m high and that is huge. It will require the most massive cranes available in the UK to erect them, the biggest road vehicles available to transport them along residential streets (Pantside), narrow lanes and across environmentally sensitive common land. Works will include three quarries  on site, removal of many acres of peat, building 8 km of tracks,   building of 13 massive concrete bases each in a 1.5 acre gravel hardstanding, and involve many thousand of tons of concrete and stone. Up to 10,000 vehicle movements are anticipated.

A scale drawing of two engineers inspecting the Lawrence Weston turbine.

 

Click  the image to see how big a 150m turbine actually is

Click here to see a video on The Lawrence Weston turbine, This gives a better impression of how big these things are.

The proposals totally ignore recent planning policy documents prepared for Torfaen and Caerphilly councils. http://www.mynydd-maen.co.uk/torfaen-and-caerphilly-forward-planning-documents


150m turbines are big, really big. Comparisons to the existing pylons (35 to 40m high) are inappropriate.