Carraig Gheal Wind Farm First Public Exhibition

[August 31st 2004]

GreenPower's first public exhibition in relation to Carraig Gheal Wind Farm was held at Kilchrenan Village Hall on the 31st August 2004. The event was well attended, receiving over 80 people during the course of the day (11am-8pm). Analysis of the exhibition's exit poll shows strong support in the local community, with 79.5% of those polled in favour of the project .

GreenPower director John Morgan said: “We're very encouraged by the response to our proposals. The turnout for the exhibition was high compared to experiences elsewhere, and importantly a significant number of people filled out the exit form”. The results reflect recent findings on levels of support for wind farms carried out by the BWEA (British Wind Energy Association) and the environmental campaigners Greenpeace.

Some issues about the project were expressed at the exhibition, and these will be fed into the process to finalise how the project is designed and managed. All queries concerning the Carraig Gheal proposal will, as with all enquiries about GreenPower projects, be responded to individually.

In addition to consulting with the general community, GreenPower offered a 'Trade Registration Form' for companies interested in working on the project. John Morgan agreed that a typical wind farm can provide a significant boost to the local economy: “At GreenPower we are committed to working with local businesses in the construction and operation of our wind farms. The Carraig Gheal project offers unrivalled opportunites for local business to become engaged in the new wave of green power projects. Those opportunites range from civil and electrical engineering to catering, accommodation and even vehicle services. This project could open up new avenues for all sorts of local business".

Carraig Gheal Wind Farm will yield an approximate annual output equivalent to the electricity needs of 47,000 average households, displacing between 180,000 and 213,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.