Protestors and campaigners opposing plans to build industrial-scale wind turbines on the hills of Radnor Forest gathered this weekend in New Radnor, to express the anger and distress that the proposals are causing local communities.

Bute Energy’s 31 turbines would stand up to 220m tall on some of the highest hills in Radnorshire. Visible for miles around, many locals say they will blight the area for decades. The proposals include using over 140,000 tonnes of concrete onsite, 16 miles of new roadways, a substation, 100,000 trees felled, power lines to Carmarthenshire and turbine blades almost 80m long. Residents also fear that wildlife will be killed and vital habitats severely depleted.

Bute is currently holding a six-week statutory public consultation period which closes on June 24th. As part of this, it has run three exhibition-style events for members of the public to find out more.

RE-think campaigned outside all three of these sessions and say while many locals are coming out of the consultation even more worried and angry than when they arrived, they are also determined to fight off the plans.

Campaign Lead Jenny Chryss said: “At New Radnor, many of the residents who were there at the time joined us in a noisy protest outside. People feel so powerless and time and time again we hear complaints that this is nothing but corporate greed. This industrial-scale proposal is not specifically for Radnorshire or even Wales. Any electricity generated would go straight to the national grid, with the power line connecting it carried on pylons for most of the 96km route.

“Our experts tell us that over-reliance on intermittent, weather-dependant onshore wind will leave us requiring expensive fossil-fuel back-up or imports for the foreseeable future.

“Nonetheless, Bute Energy is proposing 16 energy parks in Wales, including two almost adjacent to Radnor Forest. That would effectively create a giant 17-square-mile wind farm containing more than 70 turbines. It’s a disgrace that it’s even being considered.

“I urge residents to now write into Bute before the closing date and make their views known to them about the proposals.”