Uranium fears at wind farm development

There are fears that any excavation work for a proposed 19-turbine industrial-scale wind farm in west Donegal might not only trigger more landslides but could activate uranium deposits scattered throughout the area.

Danish company Ørsted and a Coillte-ESB renewable energy joint venture called FuturEnergy Ireland are exploring the potential to develop the proposed wind farm near the Clogherachullion and Cloghercor areas near the Gweebarra estuary.

Locals, including the Gweebarra Conservation Group, feel this is a totally inappropriate location for the multimillion project and feel special areas of conservation, areas of geological interest, and some of the county's most scenic areas are also under threat.

Over 50 people attended a meeting in St Bhríde's Hall in Leitirmacaward to discuss the issues on Saturday night last in spite of the storm and heavy rain. They voiced many concerns that local residents and holiday homeowners have with the threat of another planning application for industrial wind turbines in the area.

They also learned that they had received some celebrity support for their campaign from Fergal Sharkey no less, former lead singer with the punk group The Undertones.

The Derry man (above) was recently voted the Sunday Times Environmental Activist of the Year and is now a passionate environmentalist and based in the UK. He is currently waging a war against the British Government and the bosses of water companies who continue to pollute Britain's rivers and beaches.

He tweeted a message to the meeting’s organisers: “Good luck with the meeting. If I was there I'd happily pop along. Here's to a packed out crowd.”

Gweebarra Conservation Group activist, Patricia Sharkey caught everyone's attention when referring to the latest development she reminded the meeting of the uranium saga from the late 1970s and early 1980s.

“They call it [wind power] ‘green energy’ but it is anything but green,” she said. “It is mining by any other name. Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of peat and rock would have to be dug and blown up to make holes big enough for concrete hardstands to hold up the steel in a 200m high turbine. Then imagine that 200m at an elevation of 200m and you have a structure going 1,300ft into the air.

“We know there is uranium in the area so excavating that would mean the air would be poisoned and our wells, our streams and rivers as far as Ballybofey, Ardara and Letterkenny would be polluted. It is an altogether ridiculous idea.”

Another environmental activist, Joseph Brennan spoke about the situation to date regarding Ørsted, ESB and Coillte's plans to build the massive wind plant on the Gweebarra River from Doochary to Gweebarra Bridge and Shallogans in spite of widespread local opposition to the industrialisation of this rural, small farming community.

He highlighted the shadow flicker from such turbines and claimed if a wind farm were built, the turbines would cast their blinking shadows on the houses between Leitirrmacaward and Doochary every morning as the sun rose over Cruagh Léithín mountain and every evening over Lough Finn as the sun would set behind the mountain.

He spoke too of the folly of such a location given the Meenbog Windfarm disaster only two years ago.

“Last summer Donegal County Council resolved to exempt our Freshwater Pearl Mussel Rivers, Areas of Especially High Scenic Amenity, Glenveagh National Park, the Gweebarra River Valley, St John's Point and areas susceptible to landslides from the areas suitable for industrial wind turbines in the County Development Plan but before Christmas, the Minister accepted the council's decisions except regarding areas susceptible to landslides. Where does that leave us now?

“We challenge Ørsted, Future Energy Ireland, Coillte and the so-called Cloghercor Wind Farm Ltd to cut their losses and leave aside their plans,” he added

When contacted this week the council would not elaborate on what was the latest in relation to its ongoing investigation into the landslide at Meenbog.

A spokesperson stated: “Legal proceedings are ongoing in relation to Meenbog and it would not be appropriate to comment further.”

Chairman of the Salmon and Sea Trout Angling Federation of Ireland, Noel Carr, also addressed the meeting. He talked about the Meenbog disaster and the importance of Atlantic Salmon. He was warmly applauded when he said the Federation was wholly in support of the campaign to save the Gweebarra.

Mr Brennan summed up at the end of the meeting directing the concerned locals to what they had to do next.

“If they do make a planning application to An Bord Pleanála the public can then make objections at a cost of €50 per letter. If An Bord Pleanála grants planning permission for an industrial wind plant we would then have to apply to the High Court for leave to Appeal on points of law. "

To this end, a fighting fund has been established and the public can contribute to that at: www.gofundme.com /f/save-the-gweebarra

Attempts were made to get a response from the wind farm developers in relation to concerns expressed about uranium and landslides but at the time of going to press no reply was forthcoming.