UK wind farm fights govt ban in court
Date: 03-May-02
Country: UK
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) blocked the 80 megawatt wind farm at Kielder last year after objections from the Defence Ministry (MoD) that the farm's turbines would interfere with radar defence systems.
"Almost 10 years after our first positive meeting with the RAF (Royal Air Force) over the Kielder wind farm proposal, tomorrow,...we finally get to court to seek the quashing of the DTI's refusal solely on the grounds of MoD objections," said Ecogen in a statement.
Ecogen is seeking judicial review at the high court to overturn the DTI ruling.
The MoD has also objected to several offshore wind farms because of radar interference fears.
The government is keen to encourage wind power as part of its strategy to supply 10 percent of the country's electricity needs from green power by 2010. At present, Britain generates less than three percent of its power from green sources.
The Kielder project, one of the largest onshore wind farms proposed in the UK, would increase the country's wind power generation capacity by around 70 percent to 190 MW.
