Sedgemoor District Council revealed on Tuesday (October 20th) that it has held preliminary talks on controversial plans to build a new wind farm near Burnham-On-Sea.
The council’s planning department said it had met with Ecotricity – the same company that wanted to build a wind farm at Brent Knoll – to discuss plans to construct five new wind turbines at East Huntspill.
District Council spokesman Chris Gomm told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We have held pre-planning discussions with Ecotricity regarding plans to build five wind turbines on land north of the landfill site near the Huntspill River. The talks are very early and no formal plans have yet been submitted to the council. We expect those to be submitted some time before Christmas.”
Meanwhile, EDF is also planning a separate wind farm comprising of nine huge wind turbines on land at Withy Farm, near Puriton.
The proposals, which are still in their early stages, consist of a potential development of up to nine 2 MW turbines capable of producing enough electricity to supply the annual requirements of up to 10,000 homes and could lead to savings of around 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.
Initial ecological studies of the site have started and in the coming weeks EDF hopes to apply for planning permission to install a temporary meteorological monitoring mast at the site.
The mast will gather information on weather conditions and wind-speeds, and will have an important role in the ongoing assessment of the viability of the site for the project.
Plans to consult with the local community on the project will be communicated in the new year.
EDF Energy Renewables’ Development Manager, Dennis Garry, said: “As a country we face a significant energy challenge to keep the lights on, tackle climate change and maintain affordable prices. We believe the challenge can be met through greater energy efficiency and the generation of electricity from a diverse range of sources including nuclear and renewables.”
“So we’re very pleased to be able to announce our proposals for the site at Withy End Farm. We believe the site is very suitable for this kind of development which could help lead the way in protecting our environment and provide clean emission free energy for our own and future generations.”
“Renewable energy projects like this demonstrate our commitment to future energy sources, and the importance EDF Energy places on sustainable development. We’re looking forward to working closely with the local community and to consulting with them as these plans develop.”
