Renewable NI reveal only 7% of people opposed to wind farms in the Causeway Coast and Glens area

According to Renewable NI, wind developers in Causeway Coast and Glens are contributing £3.8 million a year in rates to Causeway Coast and Glens Council. 

That will raise to £8.4 million if the company achieve their 80% target by 2030. 

Steven Agnew, Director of Renewable NI has stated this is a ‘significant contribution’ to local rates. Members in the area also provide a contribution to communities on a voluntary basis. This is done through a community benefit fund. This totals £800,000 in Causeway Coast and Glens. That is said to rise to £1.8 million per year by 2030 if targets are met. 

There has been significant outrage throughout County Derry over the building of wind farms and community compensation grants as a form of ‘acceptance’ into the local area. 

In a previous statement, The ‘Save Benbradagh Group’ raised concerns that wind energy companies are 'mistaking receipt of community compensation grants as an overall community acceptance of industrialising the rural landscape where we all live, when this is not the case for the vast majority of the community'.

A spokesperson for the campaign group previously said: “Whilst it is essential to see local community groups and charities do well and prosper – community organisations should not be disadvantaged if they object to the whole community getting stripped of key natural, tourism and heritage assets, and cultural identity as this does not align with the whole idea of shared community for everyone.

“Organisations are already benefiting from quite a number of wind farms in the area, therefore a balance needs to be achieved to ensure the entire community is not further disadvantaged by the influx of more wind farms, and this is not something we can rely on the wind companies to manage.

“Wind farms already have quite a presence in our area, a fact which they are using to justify further development to filter into our valued natural rural heritage and spaces. Take Banagher windfarm for example, despite being rejected by Causeway Coast Planners, RES the developer, is still trying to push ahead with what was deemed a very 'harmful and damaging development', and ignoring the official and informed decision of the planners, the elected representatives and the views and objections of the public and many community groups. They are appealing against the refusal to allow the wind farm at Banagher and will have the resources of very skilled lawyers to help them.

“We now find ourselves in the position of being at the mercy of a judge, and a cherished haven for wildlife and recreation could be in the hands of foreign developers who will use the landscape while making eye watering profits, and once they are done… they will pass it to the next highest foreign bidder. Only recently Evishagaran windfarm at the rear of Benbradagh, developed by ABO wind, was sold on to Italian petrochemical company ERG, who also bought Craiggore windfarm at Legavallon Pot, which was developed by RES renewables - it’s like a game of pass the parcel.”

The spokesperson continued: “It’s important to remember as well that these community ‘benefits’ are an essential part of how the wind companies remain ‘tax efficient’ which conveniently gives the impression that there is community acceptance for industrialising rural areas of high scenic beauty, turning them into windfarm factories, and for what?. Falling house prices, depleted natural environments and wildlife, peat hills polluted with thousands of tonnes of concrete with the potential to pollute waters and a completely changed landscape that will have a detrimental impact on the wider community and local businesses for both present and future generations. Let us be realistic about this, there are no long term winnings or gains for the vast majority of people in this area.

“It is also worth noting that despite renewables currently making up approximately 50% of Northern Ireland's electricity generation, the cost of electricity has remained double of what it was a few years ago, with renewable companies continuing to make record profits whilst families, local businesses and organisations, schools and public sector, all struggle with inflated living costs.

“Whilst windfarm operators parade their good deeds, it is facilitated by money they are effectively stealing from struggling and increasingly-stretched NI households, businesses and public sector, as a result of the continued inflated prices they charge. This is simply unchecked profiteering, dressed up as charity and goodwill via community-benefit funds.

Speaking to the County Derry Post, Director of Renewable NI Steven Agnew said he believes the majority of people support renewables.

“We respect people in the area that oppose wind farms. More often than not it comes down to the issue of visual impact. I would say that is subjective. Campaigners obviously have the right to air their concerns, but polling would suggest they are a minority. The majority of people, including in areas where wind farms are developed, support renewables,” he said.

“Our polling would show that where people have wind farms in their local areas their support for wind increases. Recent polling states 36% of people in Northern Ireland are more supportive of wind as a result of wind farms in their area. I think what often happens is that there is a fear of what it might mean for the local area. Once the wind farms are in place you start to see the fears disappear. I have heard fears surrounding shadow flicker and noise. Those are mitigated against through planning policy and measures taken by the wind farm developers. Whilst there is a fear about those things when wind farms are being developed and proposed. People start to realise the issues aren’t as impactful as they might have thought. The fear sometimes can be worse than the reality.”

Addressing concerns in the Causeway Coast and Glens, Mr Agnew continued: “When we polled people in the Causeway Coast and Glens area only 7% were opposed to wind farms in the area. In fact 61% said their council wasn’t doing enough to support renewable energy. This shows that there is support on the ground in the council area.”

When questioned on the use of community compensation schemes the Renewable NI Director said: “We recognise that those who host windfarms should see direct benefits from having renewables in their area. That is the purpose of the community benefit schemes. They are not a material consideration in planning applications, planners take no account of it whatsoever so it won’t determine whether or not your planning consent but what we want to make sure is that where we do develop projects we hope they have a positive experience. The figures show that we are having a positive impact on those communities. The community benefit funds are something that is done voluntarily and something that we recognise as an industry that brings real value to communities. Each wind farm owner would have their own schemes but we would work with community organisations to distribute those funds. It’s not a case of we distribute funds to those who support us and we don’t to those who oppose. We take a step back and provide the funding through community organisations. From there they will distribute the funding through an application process on our behalf. 

“I always respect people who campaign on issues that matter to them. Especially when it comes to the environment in which we live. Anyone that campaigns to protect their local environment I have great respect for but the polling and the increasing support from political representatives is showing support for wind and renewables as a whole. There will always be those who object, while their voices should be heard they are not necessarily speaking to the wider community.”

To read more about the impact of Renewables in Northern Ireland visit: renewableni.com