Power Station Victory Within Reach
Posted: Friday, 25 January 2008 |
Comments
Yipeee !! Long may the beauty of lewis continue to be un-interrupted !!
Angela from Fair Isle
as the fat lady (metaphorically) has not yet sung, can we take the headlines as gospel ...? Once we can, I think we might feel that a question is due about exactly why the CnES (council) and Enterprise Companies supported this development ... Because who wants a Council who deliberately and bare-facedly ignore what the larger proportion of their constituents believe in ...?
soaplady from afraid to celebrate too much yet ...
Yeay! A sensible thought at last. Now for working towards an enery saving future - as we should be
Up here from Lewis
Very pleased myself, Peatstack :-D))
Arnish Lighthouse from Stornoway
"is the best possible start to the new year for the island's economy. A victory for the environment, culture and community." Please explain to me how buying our electricity from the mainland by undersea cable is a better option? We currently have no control over price,reliability of service,orsupplier. This propsal is significantly the most important step forward we can take. These islands could become energy self sufficient , and provide every community with cheaper electricity on a more reliable network,with such an unstable energy market surely independance is desirable? As far as I know the Borvas Bog is in no way the only possible location for the turbines , and agree the psoitioning is crucial to communities and wildlife, we need to develop new ideas on location and impact on wildlife,but this could be done. We would also be able to sell surpluss electricity , create jobs , and provide an example to the world , increasing visitor numbers , and showing everyone that The Outer Hebrides and Scotland are a world leader. Aside from turbines , crofting could be boosted by growing enough coppiced trees to supply pellet fuel for central heating as a renewable local resource , eliminating the need to import central heating oil or coal. Do islanders really want to continue burning imported diesel,coal,electricity and petrol, at increasing prices beyond our control? Just look at this mornings news , we are all already being exploited.
Peter from Western Isles
what about all the loss of jobs and all the benefits that would have come from the wind farm??
are you mad from western isles
It is worth noting that no final decision has been made as yet as the government have said 'might' rather than 'will', and in politics thare is a big difference!. AMEC have 21 days to put a case together before a final decision is made although it would seem highly unlikely they can produce anything new. I want them to say No as much as everyone else but we musn't get ahead of ourselves and start celebrating just yet - it aint over until Mr Mathers says so!
JS from lewis
Thanks both. I don't think the fat lady has charmed us yet with a selection from her repertoire, but let's hope the press are right on this one! Viz CNES etc. I thought it odd that their spokesperson last week said that it was now up to those who opposed this plan to tell him what the future plans should be for the economy of the Outer Hebrides. Strange that, I thought that was his job. The problem is, as previously voiced on this blog, that CNES and others have a too mono-dimensional notion of what counts as economic development with seemingly- two main criteria - it must be heavy industry and it must destroy the local environment. Think Wind powered power stations, think Harris Quarry etc. The other really worrying thing about this is that on both occasions CNES have flip-flopped about in their support or oppostion to major projects. Strikes me that they have no vision other than what comes along next.
Peatstack from Alone on the moor
You're right there Soaplady...many a slip...
Flying Cat from paws crossed
Seems to me we are still looking to the mainland , and that the Comhairle is at least trying to put the islands first , why not build the thing ourselves? By letting AMEC have it , we are still placing ourselves in a weakened position. Let them build it for us , then sell the electricity to pay them back, like the channel tunnel or Skye Bridge.
retep from western isles
Peter - you're comments are very much in line with my thinking. If you look back to the very first blogs I posted on this site, my call was for an energy plan for the Western Isles - focussing on self sufficiency. The importing of energy is crazy, as you suggest. I also agree fully with the need for wind power. But not like this massive project. I think we should look to complete and diverse energy self-sufficency, and look to to this as a role for the villages themselves to organise as appropriate sustainable energy production. We could really make a go of that as a world leader in local self sufficiency, and could as elsewhere (Shetland) make a contribution to solving local fuel poverty. I think energy self-sufficency is the natural practical and emotional inheritance of the original ideals of crofting, and it is latent in the crofters blood to conserve and work at an appropriate level with nature. Forget the undersea cables, we don't 186 turbines that size to keep ourselves going.
Peatstack from Home
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