RWE downplays plan to dismantle wind farm

Energy company RWE has today sought to alleviate fears it is planning to force the closure of one of the UK's oldest and most efficient wind farms to make way for a new nuclear power plant, arguing that the proposals are a long way from being finalised and, if adopted, would deliver deep cuts in carbon emissions.

The German power group has drawn up proposals for a new nuclear power plant at Kirkstanton in Cumbria, one of the 11 potential sites for new nuclear reactors selected by the government earlier this month.

However, if given the go-ahead, a new nuclear plant at Kirkstanton could lead to the dismantling of the neighbouring Haverigg wind farm.

The move has prompted anger from the operators of the 3.5MW Haverigg plant, who said they had not been consulted about the proposals before RWE submitted its plan to the government.

Colin Palmer, founder of the Windcluster company, which owns part of the wind farm, told the Guardian that the first the company had heard of the plan was when the proposals were made public.

"My first reaction was disbelief, quickly followed by a sense of years of commitment to sustainable energy being destroyed," Palmer said. "At a time when the government is calling for wind energy development to be accelerated, it beggars belief that it is supporting plans that will result in the destruction of existing capacity."

Speaking to BusinessGreen.com, a spokeswoman for RWE said that the company had consulted widely with local stakeholders while developing the plan, although she did not confirm whether this included the operators of the wind farm.

She added that the Kirkstanton proposal was at a "very early stage" and that the final decision on whether or not the plan should be given the go-ahead would rest with the government. "RWE is very pro-wind and operates 20 wind farms," she said. "But the proposed nuclear plant could produce CO2-free power for five million homes and that is why it's being considered."

The project could also proceed without the wind farm being affected, according to RWE, which explained that the level of the impact on the wind farm would depend on the final site layout.

However, the proposals are likely to fuel fears among green groups that the government is fast-tracking nuclear power plants through the planning process while many wind farm developments continue to face planning delays.

Charles Anglin of the British Wind Energy Association said that the industry needs a "level playing field" if it is to play a full part in helping the UK meet its emission-reduction targets. "We need to recognise that a third of the UK's generation capacity will be decommissioned within 10 years and we will need a mix of different technologies to cope with that challenge," he said. "It is not sensible to play off different technologies against one another."