Wind Energy Policy

Introduction and context

The UK is currently heavily dependent on use of fossil fuels for energy, burning of which releases greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide. This promotes climate change, which presents damaging impacts for biodiversity. As part of its strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the UK Government has set a target to generate 10% of the UK's electricity from renewable sources by 2010 (current level around 2.5%).

In the South West, Regional Planning Guidance (2001) includes a target of generating 11-15% of electricity from renewable sources by 2010 (current level around 1.7%). A project called REvision 2010 has been set up to look at how to achieve this target at a county level.

Wind energy is one of a range of renewable energy sources (such as wave, tidal, solar and other powers) being developed through this strategy. For each source there will be environmental impacts as well as benefits, depending on where a development is sited.

Although Dorset Wildlife Trust does not currently have a formal policy on energy or sustainable development, it broadly supports measures to reduce consumption of non-renewable energy sources, including the use of sustainable technologies, which in the long term will be beneficial to wildlife. However this policy recognises that in specific cases development of structures to harness wind energy could potentially be damaging to wildlife.

The UK Government announced in July 2003 an expansion of offshore wind power generation. None of the suggested areas for development is in the South West.

Dorset Wildlife Trust's approach to the Issue

DWT's approach to assessing planning applications and other development proposals is set out in DWT and the Planning System: Internal Guidelines, November 2001. This document sets its guiding principle as: When considering land-use planning proposals, DWT restricts its comments to the proposal's effects on nature conservation, with a footnote stating: "Comments will be primarily restricted to wildlife matters. However, on occasion, related issues will be relevant - for example access to nature reserves or public enjoyment and appreciation of wildlife or geology. DWT might also wish to alert planning authorities to other issues which appear relevant, or to comment on other issues raised by a proposal which affects wildlife."

Wind Energy and Wildlife

Wind turbine and wind 'farm' proposals have the potential to impact on wildlife in a number of ways:-

• Direct loss of habitats under the development footprint, including associated infrastructure.
• Damage to remaining habitats during construction or through changes to management.
• Interference with natural processes - geological/geomorphological, hydrological, coastal erosion and sediment transport.
• Pollution.
• Disturbance to mobile species.
• Collision of mobile species with structures and cabling.
• Cumulative effects when more than one development occurs in an area.
• Reduction in the effects of climate change.

In addition other landscape and cultural impacts could potentially lead to indirect impacts on nature conservation (eg changes in land use).

Points e. and f. are those which often cause most concern amongst people who hear about a proposal, in particular the potential for birds (and bats) to collide with, or be struck by, the turbines.

Any tall structure such as a turbine or pylon may cause bird mortality; in wind farms collisions with towers, masts and electricity lines occur as well as with the rotor blades. For many species, mortality caused in this way will not significantly affect the overall population, with greater losses through collisions with vehicles or predation by cats, as well as other more 'natural' causes.

However for some species in some situations, wind turbines can present a major hazard. There have been some cases where the rate of bird strike has been considerable, for example at Altamont Pass, California (the largest wind farm development area in the world) and in south-west Spain. These sites lie on major bird migration routes, and particularly affect the larger birds, such as raptors, which are less capable of manoeuvring to avoid obstacles.

Disturbance to ground-nesting birds is also a possibility, where masts, buildings or other structures are placed in previously open landscapes. For example wading birds such as lapwing may move their territories away from new structures.

The potential impact of any application on birds will need to be assessed in terms of which species are affected, and where the location is in relation to important bird habitats and migration routes.

In terms of bats, a similar situation is thought to occur, but much less research has been carried out. Some migratory species appear to be affected by collisions with structures, including wind turbines, as they are thought not to use their echolocation so much during migration. It is not known whether British species behave in this way when moving between roost sites, but we do not have large-scale migrations of bats here. In the USA certain non-migratory species seemed to be affected, but a European study did not find an impact despite recording bats foraging within 1 metre of an operating turbine.

Given this uncertainly, it would seem wise to assess whether important bat populations are present near to proposed wind turbine sites.

Proposed onshore wind farm developments may require a formal Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) if there are potential significant environmental effects from proposals for more than 2 turbines, or the hub height of the turbine exceeds 15 metres. An EIA is more likely to be required with proposals of more than 5 turbines, or generating capacity of more than 5 megawatts. An Environmental Statement would be produced as part of the EIA process and should address the issues highlighted above.

Policy Statement

1. Climate change is likely to have a significant impact on Dorset's biodiversity over the next few generations and measures to reduce its causes are welcomed. Dorset Wildlife Trust thus supports the principle of increasing the proportion of our power generated from all renewable energy sources including wind, in combination with measures to reduce energy demand overall. If wind farms are developed in appropriate locations, at appropriate scales and technologies, these developments may make a significant contribution to reducing the UK's use of fossil fuels and help to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases.
2. Dorset Wildlife Trust is a nature conservation organisation and consequently limits its comments on planning matters to issues relevant to nature conservation. DWT should always have access to Environmental Statements produced by environmental consultants on behalf of the developer. Where a formal EIA is not required, DWT would still expect ecological information to be provided. It is the responsibility of developers to provide the information required to assess the impact of proposals. Large wind farm applications exceeding 50 Megawatts output will be submitted direct to the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI), thus bypassing local planning procedures. DWT will seek reassurance that this will not prejudice the consultative process.
3. Wind farms (including their associated roads, buildings, powerlines, etc) should not be developed where areas of recognised nature conservation importance (Ramsar Sites, SPAs, candidate SACs, NNRs LNRs, SNCIs) would be damaged. Damage to priority Biodiversity Action Plan habitats should also be avoided.
4. Where wind farms are proposed adjacent or near to areas of nature conservation importance, adequate safeguards should be built into the developments to ensure negligible damage to the adjacent sites' conservation interest. However it may on occasions be appropriate to oppose such applications.
5. Wind farms should not be developed on routes known to be heavily used by migrating birds or have large local accumulations of birds at risk from disturbance or collisions - particularly where poor visibility (caused by fog, low cloud, etc), is a frequent occurrence.
6. The significance of effects on key species should be assessed. Such species might include bird species listed under Schedule 1 of the EC Wild Birds Directive, species (including all bats) protected under the EC Habitats Directive, UK protected species and Biodiversity Action Plan priority species.
7. An environmental monitoring scheme should be designed for each wind farm project as part of the application, so that when wind farms are established they are monitored to better understand any subsequent impacts on nature conservation.

Adopted by DWT Council
December 2003

Contact Us | Site Map | e-newsletters |  Vacancies

A registered charity & a company limited by guarantee.
Registered in England as: The Dorset Trust for Nature Conservation Ltd.

Registered Company No. 68843
Registered Charity No. 200222
Copyright © 2008 Dorset Wildlife Trust