Government urged to consider wildlife when considering wind farms

Following the announcement that Manx Utilities has received Council of Ministers approval for its plans to commence construction projects to produce electricity from onshore wind and solar energy, questions have been raised on Manx Radio about the potential impact on bats and other wildlife.

The Manx Bat Group assumes the Manx Government, as a participant in the Eurobats Agreement, will ensure that relevant protocols will be followed in the design and site selection process, including allowing adequate time for bat surveys to be undertaken as part of the ecological impact assessment process.

Ecological impact assessments (EcIAs) should be carried out by professional ecologists before deciding on the siting of onshore and offshore wind turbines and wind farms, large and small. The EcIA results should inform decisions on location as well as positioning of individual turbines within the selected sites. Where impacts are predicted, avoidance/mitigation measures and monitoring should be secured through robust planning conditions.

Direct impacts of wind farms can include collision and barotrauma (damage to tissues from air pressure changes around turbines); indirect impacts can include habitat loss (roosts, commuting routes and foraging areas) and fragmentation.

Mitigation measures (in the form of curtailment of wind turbines during periods of high bat activity) are now known to be successful in reducing the impacts of wind turbines on bats whilst minimising losses in power generation. These methods are constantly being refined but ongoing monitoring is essential to inform the approach.

Currently what little information is available about the impact of solar farms on bats suggests that impacts may be relatively limited. However, potential impacts, such as habitat loss and fragmentation, mean bats will still need to be taken into consideration in EcIAs for the placement of solar farms.

The Manx Bat Group will work with its senior partner, the Bat Conservation Trust, to ensure the best outcome for bats in the Government’s plans to decarbonise the Isle of Man’s electricity supply by 2030.