Below you will see the Net Mast which was assembled and erected over the last couple of weeks. Chris Williams from United Utilities Group (the Project leader) told me that the Net Mast is Solar Powered and shall receive and transmit vital information as regards to the Wind performance across the Scar weather Wind farm proposed Development Area.
Scar weather Sands would be the first area of UK South West wales to have an offshore Wind farm. With the growth rate of families and urban development, Power sources will be stretched to their Maximum, already fossilised fuels have been nearly exhausted of their natural fuel factors. Wind Power is a cleaner, greener way of producing energy from a natural source the Wind.
We have seen Turbines harnessed of the mountains off Margam, but these ones are situated off shore to utilise the Scar Weather 's own natural resource, the ever popular wind which is at it's strongest at this point of the Bristol Channel. | |
| SWWASAC's Involvement
http://hometown.aol.co.uk/swwasac/windfarm.html
SWWASAC have met with United utilities Group(Today known as EON) over the past 18 months to discuss important issues with regard to the Marine Ecology. Research has been sought from all over the UK and into America to find valuable information with regard to the possible affects to Migratory fish like the Ray, Bass, Turbot, and Dolphins & Porpoise that all frequent this area through any twelve month period. The Sand Banks are of great importance as juvenile fish travel here in search of their food chain, Sand Eels, lugworm small fry, crustaceans( crab, Lobster & Shrimp etc). During construction we will notice a slight if not grat deal of disturbance to the Sea Bed, this however we are told will settle down quickly and fish will return again on their annual feeding & spawning pattern and breed once more.
The Turbines will create small artificial reefs around the Monopile structures and this will attract more Crustaceans and fish will readily return in search of food. Anchoring and Trawling will not be permitted within this Area at any time, this will on its own provide a Nursery Area for all breeding Fish and this will hopefully over the next few years show greater numbers of fish stocks within the Swansea Bay Area. While under construction and under operation United Utilities have agreed with SWWASAC to monitor the Fish Levels from start to finish this may well include tagging measure and Release to capture vital data that can be used again throughout other projects similar to this one so that patterns and fish sources can be distributed to other Countries even to provide the information required. SWWASAC has given full Support to the Wind farm Project as we can see through research the benefit to Migratory fish to sustain and promote the Fish Stocks around the Bristol Channel.
SWWASAC have had a a number of successful meetings with United Utilities Group Project Leaders Chris Williams,Steve Appleby, Gill Lock & Eleri Owen. During Consultation meetings concerns were raised over Migratory fish being affected by Electro magnetic Pulses from the Cables and Turbines, UU addressed the matter with urgency and have decided to bury Cables using a trench digging machine that backfills on the cables that have been sunk under the sea bed.
The Project has planned for 30 Wind Turbines and one Met Mast which has already been approved for construction and has been constructed and can be seen from vessels passing by. Each Turbine has a rated capacity of up to 3.6 MW.And these would provide enough energy to supply 82,000 homes. The wind farm will consist of an area of 10km Sq with the towers taking up 0.007% of this area.
SWWASAC has given full support to the Offshore Wind farm.
And will continue through the life of the Wind Farm
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| SWWASAC General Secretary met with Mr Richard Banks at the end of July discussing the Benefits from the Wind Farm. SWWASAC who have been Serving the South West Wales for many years has fought to try and sustain the Marine Ecology. However due to over-fishing by Foreign Vessels and Black Marketeers Recreational Sport Fishing has been declining for some years now, and no enforcement as to size limits have evolved due to some Bodies keeping size limits for some 20 years, with no review as to the decline of the Bass, Ray (all Species)Turbot and Cod, SWWASAC has increased their own sizes based on accurate recording of Species caught by rod & Line, most of which Anglers can return due to Rod & Line fishing. Where other methods such as Pair Trawling kills everything in the net, even Dolphins. SWWASAC has never condemned any Local Trawlers as they only catch a small percentage of what is in the Bristol Channel compared to Pair Trawlers and Pelagic Fishing Vessels continuously ploughing the Sea Beds for fish. Where as certain methods of netting have a drastic affect on recreational angling because of the periodical return and availability of Bream etc. | |
