More than 50 objections to the development of wind farms lodged by the Ministry of Defence could delay by years the Scottish government’s renewable energy policy, which envisages a 50 per cent reliance on wind and wave power by 2020.
This week, a three-turbine development at Dusty Drum Farm, in Angus, was recommended for rejection by local planning officials after the MoD said the 110m-high turbines would cause interference to air traffic control radar at RAF Leuchars in Fife, 13 miles away.
Inquiries by The Times revealed that since January 2008, the MoD had objected to a further 11 wind farm developments in Scotland, the bulk on the east coast, complaining that each one will interfere with radar at either RAF Leuchars, RAF Kinloss or RAF Lossiemouth.
Green campaigners are concerned that these statistics are merely the thin end of the wedge. Government figures published in October reveal that since January 2006, the MoD has been consulted on 3,502 pre-planning applications across the UK and has expressed concerns to 1,054 on the grounds of interference with defence equipment and operations. Of those, 233 objections related to onshore wind farm sites in Scotland.
Danny Alexander, the Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey said that costly planning delays should be avoided.
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“The MoD should look at their procedures to ensure they avoid the impression that they are making a blanket response,” said Mr Alexander.
A senior engineer with one of the UK’s leading engineering consultancies told the Times: “It is a very serious matter. The MoD is regarded as a key consultee by any planning authority. If there is an objection it is very unlikely that the planning authority, whether it is the Scottish Government or the local authority, will go ahead.”
The Dusty Drum development was proposed for a flat site close to Milton of Carmyllie, east of Arbroath. The three turbines, sited on land 120m above sea level, were said to pose a potential threat of interference to radar signals for the Tornado F3 fighter jets based at the RAF base in Fife. The MoD has lodged objections to two other developments in Angus, at East Skichen and at Saughmont.
“The MoD confirms that the turbines will be 21.6km from, in line of sight to, and will cause unacceptable interference to the air traffic control radar at RAF Leuchars,” said Eric Lowson, Director of Infrastructure Services for Angus Council.
The movement of turbines “clutters” radar signals, obscuring the presence of an aircraft, and, in the worst cases, causing it to disappear from the radar, for the brief period it is flying through the corridor of air above a wind farm. Two years ago, relations between the MoD and the wind industry reached their nadir, with suggestions that the impact of turbines on radar posed a threat to national security.
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A working party brought the two sides together in July last year, and both government and industry say progress has been made, though some projects remain in “a difficult limbo”, according to Nicola Vaughan, Head of Aviation for the British Wind Energy Association “We have come a long way in the last 18 months, but you can’t get away from the fact that some sites could have an impact on radar,” said Ms Vaughan. “Many of these projects take years to move through the planning process, and for some there is a difficult limbo as the mitigation technology is developed. The MoD is engaged and the industry is funding the development of solutions.”
Jenny Hogan, Senior Wind Energy Officer at Scottish Renewables, said it was vital that the dialogue continued, between both the military, civil aviation sectors and the wind farm industry, “to develop solutions to radar issues that are holding back a number of wind farms”.
Ms Hogan added: “We are hopeful that the new year will bring progress on this issue, particularly in the South West of Scotland, which has seen significant difficulties.”
The Scottish Government said it was participating in discussions within the Aviation Advisory Panel that sought to promote solutions to potential radar problems.
An MOD spokesperson said: “The MoD is committed to government targets for renewable energy ... [but] The MoD must do what is necessary to ensure national security, the safety of aircraft and aircrew are protected.”