On the morning of Thursday 19 February, Green MEP for the South West, Molly Scott Cato, Peter Barton, Green Party Parliamentary Candidate for West Dorset, members of West and South Dorset Green Party and local residents of Charminster visited Higher Burton Farm, site of Broadview Energy’s proposed development of six wind turbines.
Peter Barton, Green Parliamentary Candidate for West Dorset, says: “The local Green Party is fully in favour of this wind turbine development which will produce electricity equivalent to the annual domestic electricity needs of 6,500 homes or 70% of the households in Dorchester each year. In addition, the energy company will provide a guaranteed minimum of £60,000 for the local community for each year of the life of the wind farm as well as offering local residents the chance to buy a stake in the wind farm so that they can benefit from the revenue generated.
“Dorset is lagging behind other counties in the South West in electrical capacity generated by renewables and is falling well short of its aspirational target of meeting 7.5% of its total energy needs from renewables by 2015.”
Green MEP for the South West, Molly Scott Cato says: “The geographical location of the UK means we are blessed with 40% of Europe’s potential wind power. While other European nations, especially the Danes and the Germans, are benefitting from heavy investment in wind power, the UK falls far short of exploiting the full potential of wind energy. Both the Conservatives and UKIP would end any form of subsidy for wind power. Here in the South West, a recent report from Regen states that the renewables sector could support up to 34,000 jobs.
“When polled, two-thirds of the UK public are in favour of wind power. The fifth report of the International Panel on Climate Change sets out in stark terms the urgent need to cut carbon emissions and the role of a massive increase in renewable energy in decarbonising our energy use. This proposed development at Higher Burton Farm, gives West Dorset the chance to make an important contribution.”
Peter Barton
