Huge wind project moves forward despite states' objections

The Department of Energy announced Friday it will permit a major expansion of the nation’s wind energy lines.

The power line project, which will move 4,000 megawatts of power from Texas and Oklahoma through Arkansas and into the Southeast, has faced opposition from landowners and state leaders, but the DOE used a provision in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to bypass state approval of the project. It is projected to cost $2.5 billion and bring power to 1.5 million homes.

While clean energy advocates may be celebrating, not everyone is as pleased.

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“Basically this decision says that Washington, D.C., knows more than the people of Arkansas do about whether to build across the state giant, unsightly transmission towers to carry a comparatively expensive, unreliable source of electricity to the Southeast where utilities may not need the electricity,” said Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander. “This is the first time federal law has been used to override a state’s objections to using eminent domain for sitting electric transmission lines. It is absolutely the wrong policy.” The Republican senator has received a 20 percent lifetime score on his environmental voting record by the League of Conservation Voters, which is admittedly better than most of his peers.

The DOE, however, says the project will do much to modernize the nation’s energy grid, as well as help address climate change from carbon emissions.

“Moving remote and plentiful power to areas where electricity is in high demand is essential for building the grid of the future,” said Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz in a statement. “Building modern transmission that delivers renewable energy to more homes and businesses will create jobs, cut carbon emissions, and enhance the reliability of our grid.”

The effort to modernize the grid has largely stalled since the ’80s, as the New York Times reports, despite increasing urgency from the threat of climate change. While the company building the line, Clean Line Energy Partners, will be required to acquire the land the lines are built across, the developers will be able to use eminent domain if negotiations fail by invoking the Energy Policy Act.

Construction is projected to begin in 2017.

Huge wind project moves forward despite states" objections

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Caernarfon giant wind turbine plan put forward

Plans have been drawn up for a giant wind turbine in Caernarfon of nearly 50m tall.

The planned 48m wind turbine in Pant Eithinog is being put forward by a farmer who intends to use it to generate his own electricity.

The structure would be bigger than the Marquess of Anglesey’s column, towering 21 metres above it.

Farmer Huw Jones agents’ Roger Parry & Partners said: “Pant Eithinog is a farm business run by Mr Huw Jones.

“The farm boundaries are extensive and include large areas of hillside above the main farmstead, where higher winds are generated.

“The wind turbine is located in the open countryside within a pasture field.

“The proposed use of the wind turbine is for the generation of electricity from a renewable source, the wind.

“The applicant intends to reduce reliance on imported electricity through the on-site generation of wind energy, which in turn will reduce costs to the farming operation and support the diversification activities of the business.”

The report added the proposal would not warrant the submission of an environmental statement as it “does not prevent unusually complex and potentially hazardous environmental effects.”

Last month, an application for a 45m wind turbine in Tanybryn, near Pwllheli, was withdrawn at the request of the applicant.

A report to Gwynedd Council’s planning committee recommended refusing the application as officials believed putting up the turbine would have a detrimental effect on the historic character of the landscape and on views across the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

A full application has also been made for a third 50kw wind turbine, at Derwin Fawr, Garndolbenmaen.

There are already two wind turbines which have been there since 2012.

Caernarfon giant wind turbine plan put forward