Spain chooses wind power for energy efficiency

Spain chooses wind power for energy efficiency

By Edward Owen in Madrid
Last Updated: 4:01pm GMT 26/11/2007

Spain's air may be cleaner but its landscape and coastline will change dramatically over the next 13 years if a draft of the socialist government's drastic new energy plan is adopted.

Many beauty spots and costa views will be blighted under a plan whereby Spain will displace natural gas with wind turbines as the main source of energy by the year 2020.

...

"The draft plan is expected to be adopted early next year," a ministry spokesman said. "There are a number of possible scenarios but the major objective is to move towards renewable energy sources. These are also favoured by the main ecological groups."
advertisement

Just off the unspoiled shoreline near Cabo de Trafalgar on Spain's southern Atlantic coast, among the wrecks and bones of the Battle of Trafalgar, will arise from the shallow sea bed a forest of 500 pylons, each 280 ft. high.

Many other parts of Spain where winds are frequent have now also been earmarked for wind farms.

The Ministry of Industry plans to announce over the next few weeks its more detailed plans to erect tens of thousands of pylons.

This will require a further investment of about €45,000m in order to produce 107.845 MW of electricity by the year 2030. The ambitious scheme involves tripling wind power in order to reduce Spain's dependency on foreign suppliers of gas (North Africa) and to reduce pollution.

...