          |
Protecting sites in England
|
Home > Our work > Conservation > Protecting wildlife sites > Protecting sites in England > Atlantic array, Bristol Channel
Atlantic Array, Bristol Channel
The RSPB is reassured that the proponents of a new proposal for the UK's largest windfarm plan to seek the charity's help in assessing the impact of the project on birds and wildlife. We will work to ensure that the proposed development does not harm rare or vulnerable wildlife.
The proposal was announced by Farm Energy and DONG Energy on 17 May 2007. The ‘Atlantic Array’ would be made up of up to 380 turbines and cover an area of some 350 km2 in the outer Bristol Channel between North Devon and south Wales, approximately 15km to the north of Lundy. According to its proponents, this would generate 1,500MW of electricity, enough to power more than 1 million homes (roughly 53% of south west England’s domestic energy use), avoiding the emission of 2.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year or reducing the region’s total ‘carbon footprint’ by 5%. The location and size of this development will require a comprehensive programme of work to understand and evaluate its potential to impact on wildlife. This must include survey work to determine the use of this part of the outer Bristol Channel by wildlife, including seabirds, and subsequent assessment of the potential impacts of the scheme’s construction and operation on that wildlife. The Bristol Channel and its approaches from the Atlantic Ocean are important for feeding seabirds. In particular, the islands of Skomer, Skokholm, Middleholm and Ramsey are home to 152,000 breeding pairs of Manx shearwaters, a dove-sized seabird that breeds in burrows, representing up to 45% of the total world breeding population. The location and size of this development will require a comprehensive programme of work to understand and evaluate its potential to impact on wildlife The outer Channel is also thought to be a feeding area in late summer for Balearic shearwaters, a species whose world population numbers less than 2,000 breeding pairs. The developers have approached the RSPB at the outset, seeking our input in assessing the wildlife value of the site. We plan to work with them to ensure that the programme of survey work to identify the use of the area by wildlife is rigorous, and that the information gathered is used to inform the acceptability, and potentially design, of the scheme. Farm Energy and DONG Energy have previously worked constructively with the RSPB in development of proposals for the London Array offshore windfarm, in the outer Thames estuary. As with that project, the RSPB will be robust in advocating that birds and other wildlife must be protected. Climate change represents the greatest long-term threat to the world’s wildlife as well as human life on earth. Action to address and respond to climate change is a priority for the RSPB. For further information, see our climate policy pages.
Last modified: 21 May 2007 |
Back to basicsBird guideNature reserves |
Minsmere RSPB Reserve, general view of Boomacre Mere - David Tipling (rspb-images.com)
Hummingbird hawkmoth - Steve Round
Tree sparrow perched on branch in woodland - Sue Tranter (rspb-images.com, Ref: 1018091)
Bird illustrations by Mike Langman (RSPB)