New wind turbines could be harming thousands of endangered bird populations, says RSPB

BY DENIS BEDOYA ON JANUARY 21, 2020SCIENCE

Wind farms installed offshore to tackle climate change are actually threatening thousands of endangered seabirds around the UK, according to the RSPB.

The bird charity says new wind farms could be the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for more than 1,000 birds across four of the most threatened species.

Many of these birds feed on fish at sandbanks, where developers prefer to build offshore wind turbines.

There are more than 15 proposed UK offshore wind farms, which tend to be more efficient than those on land, as stronger winds cause the turbines to spin faster, meaning they generate more energy. 

Wind power is a sustainable source of energy and has a smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels.

However, in a report published in Biological Conservation, the charity has identified areas where the building of wind farm infrastructure should be banned, such as sandbanks, where birds tend to feed on small fish.

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World's biggest offshore wind farm approved despite RSPB warning over 'unnecessary' bird deaths

Emily Gosden, energy editor 

16 AUGUST 2016 • 2:24PM

A£6bn project to build the world's largest offshore wind farm off the coast of Yorkshire has been granted planning consent, despite warnings from the RSPB that it would kill hundreds of seabirds.

The Hornsea Two wind farm would see up to 300 turbines built 55 miles offshore and could generate up to 1.8 gigawatts of power, enough to power about 1.6m homes. 

The project could be up and running by the mid-2020s but will first need to secure a subsidy contract from the Government to guarantee Danish developer Dong Energy billions of pounds in financial support from UK energy bill-payers.

It would be built adjacent to Dong Energy's 174-turbine Hornsea One wind farm, which is itself due to be the world's biggest to date when completed in 2020 and has already secured a contract for an estimated £4.2bn in subsidies.

The RSPB said the planning approval for Hornsea Two was "devastating" as the turbines would be directly in the flight path of gannets and kittiwakes that nest in protected wildlife areas between Flamborough Head and Filey Cliffs, resulting in the "unnecessary death" of hundreds of birds. 

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