Manx Utilities are to be thanked for making public their detailed transition operational decision making assessment of the possibilities for onshore wind power, such transparency and openness is always welcome.

The bulk of the document provides multiple data on the benefits and weaknesses of the various sites, with a clear picture emerging that the Earystane and Scard site has many advantages, not least for bird life, carbon emissions, human health, river ecology, capital and running costs, efficiency and costs to the consumer. What I have to query are these statements in the cost section. ‘The Sulby and Druidale options incur an additional £10m due to the additional turbines required.

‘It was discussed that the lower visual impact of Sulby and Druidale was less likely to attract objections and the additional cost may be worth offsetting the risk.’

The concept of risk in this regard is a contentious one. ]What specifically is the ‘risk’, a risk of what happening to whom or what?

There are however several substantive risks identified with the Sulby site, starting with risk to bird life posed by shorter, faster spinning turbines.

There is the risk of ecological damage caused by unavoidable disturbance of heathland: as noted in the report, once damaged, heathland cannot be regenerated within the lifespan of the wind farm.

It would be near impossible to demonstrate there would not be a significant biodiversity loss, not forgetting the inevitable carbon dioxide and methane emissions.

The report’s consultants advise that ‘heathland should be avoided at all costs and it is sensible to dismiss other potential sites where heathland has been identified’ and it is hard to disagree.

The Earystane and Scard site design avoids all heathland, whereas the most significant peat is at the Sulby and Druidale site and underground cabling would pass through areas of heathland.

It is much more feasible to demonstrate potential biodiversity net gain with replanting at sufficient scale of native and broadleaved woodland to mitigate the removal of non-native trees at the Earystane and Scard site.

The crucial factor is that it is not sufficient to tick a box by planting a few hundred whips, but there are plenty of local experts in the field of woodland improvement who could advise and oversee the necessary large-scale operation required.

There are risks to public finance and consumers’ electricity bills through capital costs and likely generation tariffs from a less efficient wind resource on the Sulby and Druidale site.

We’ve known for many years that we have one of the best wind resources in the British Isles, so it’s pleasing but not that surprising that Earystane and Scard could be ‘one of the highest performing wind farms in the British Isles’.

If we are genuinely committed to reducing our carbon emissions through renewable energy, this is highly significant.

Perhaps most alarmingly, the report describes the ‘high risk of contamination to Sulby drinking water which would have a knock-on impact at Baldwin reservoir’.

This a huge issue which poses multiple risks to human health, river ecology, and again public finances, as mitigation would ‘require substantial capital investment for both the project and for Manx Utilities’ water infrastructure’, as yet uncosted.

Once disturbed, such heavy metal contamination is near impossible to control, as our knowledge of the problems with old Cross Vein mine workings at Snuff the Wind should tell us.

There are no simple or foolproof engineering or land management solutions which guarantee containment of heavy metal deposits, once disturbed.

It is difficult to see how the safety of drinking water, or protection of the ecology of the Sulby and Baldwin rivers could be achieved.

This report is an excellent starting point, but as it points out there is an urgent need for comprehensive assessments of all ecological issues, particularly bird life. I look forward to the next phase.

P Christian

Isle of Man Friends of the Earth

This letter was first published in the Isle of Man Examiner of August 1.

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