I concur with the opinions expressed by my fellow correspondents in their correspondences dated 9th of September, emphasizing the critical need to preserve the environment during the formulation phase of wind farm developments. The Irish Sea is set to host numerous such wind farms that are primarily earmarked to be built across its 15 nearshore sandbanks. These sandbanks play a significant role in coastal defence by facilitating longshore drift, i.e., the circulation and eventual deposition of sand/silt along the eastern shoreline. Any disruptions to this natural process could have detrimental effects on our coastlines.
Take for instance the Arklow Bank, which is earmarked for the installation of 56 turbines, is a noteworthy case. As a sandbank associated with a headland, its importance is profound. Any tampering with its elevation may trigger unusual longshore drifts. Should its height increase, it might expedite the removal of onshore sands without following the natural replenishment cycle. The Arklow Bank Phase 1, which till now remains the only wind farm operational offshore in Ireland with seven turbines installed in 2004, is set to be deconstructed soon. In 2017, Arklow Energy Ltd, the operators of these turbines, were permitted to discard 99,999 tons of sand accumulated at the base of the turbines in the sea (Consent S007-01), but the discard has yet to happen, as verified recently by the Environmental Protection Agency. This over-accumulation of sand has thus led to significant elevation of the Arklow Bank, which has been contributing to severe shoreline attrition for two decades, notably between the southern side of Brittas Bay beach and Kilmichael point in Wexford.
Such indications strongly underscore the need that environmental impact evaluations should be performed independently and not be entirely left to the discretion of the developers. A fitting way to kick this process off would be by assessing the impacts of Arklow Bank Phase 1’s operations on the surrounding environment, both at sea and on land. – Yours respectfully,
MAURICE MARTIN
Brittas Bay,
Co Wicklow.