Addo wind farm set to go ahead

Fears vibrating blades of turbines on national park border may disturb infrasound communicators such as elephants

The appeal lodged against a controversial wind farm to be built on the boundary of the Addo Elephant National Park has been rejected by environment minister Barbara Creecy.

Wilderness Foundation Africa and the Indalo Private Game Reserves’ Association now have until the end of this month to institute court proceedings to challenge the ruling.

The Bayview Wind Farm project was initially approved by the department of forestry, fisheries and environment in 2019 and in May the two conservation organisations lodged their formal action against the ruling.

Their appeals were focused on nine issues, including the harm that would be done to sense of place, the effect the vibrating turbine blades would have on elephant infrasound communication, and the vortexes of turbulence that would jeopardise anti-poaching aerial patrols.

However, in her ruling, Creecy said she was not convinced.

“I have decided to dismiss the appeal and to confirm the decision of the department.

“Should the appellants be dissatisfied with any aspect of my decision, they may apply to a competent court to have this decision judicially reviewed.”

Wildlife vet Dr William Fowlds, who is also co-owner of the Amakhala Private Game Reserve, a member of Indalo, said Creecy’s ruling was troubling.

“SA needs more energy resources and no-one is against renewable energy but it is the placement that’s at issue here.

“Why put this wind farm on the border of a national park where it is going to destroy sense of place, undercut ecotourism and negatively impact jobs, and quite possibly harm the communication processes of elephants and other wildlife that use infrasound?

“Why do that when wind blows across this whole province?” He said more research still needed to be done on the vibrations of the turning turbine blades and how that affected infrasound communicators, which included a variety of species from dung beetles to hares, moles and elephants.

Infrasound describes sound waves with a frequency below the lower limit of human audibility.

“But there is great concern that there is indeed a negative effect and the precautionary principle should therefore have been applied, particularly considering the historic flagship status elephants have in Addo park.

“Yet no precautionary prin

ciple has been applied.”

He said sense of place was a vital ingredient of eco-tourism.

“Eco-tourists do not want to go somewhere to enjoy the outdoors and instead be confronted by huge wind turbines that represent not nature but human activity and industry.”

According to Johannesburgbased Bayview Wind Power’s contracted assessor, Coastal & Environmental Services, Bayview Wind Farm will comprise up to 40 wind turbines, with a maximum net generating capacity of 140MW.

Each turbine will be a maximum 225m high, including the 150m tower and the 75m propeller blades.

Coastal & Environmental Services Bayview Wind Farm project leader Dr Alan Carter said the site was west-southwest of the southern section of the Addo park and the closest turbines would be 5.5km from the park boundary.

According to a November 2020 study on the Albany biodiversity corridor around Makhanda, the negative effect of current and proposed wind energy facilities is devastating.

“The analysis estimates that up to 150,000ha of mapped biodiversity economy landscape will be visually impaired by the currently proposed wind energy facilities.

“The lost economic opportunity as a result of their impact is estimated to be R955m turnover per annum and 2,535 full-time jobs.”

According to a 2021 Rhodes University economic department study report on the impact of wind farms on nature-based tourism, where new wind farms were contemplated, the focus should be on degraded areas.

“Estimates reveal that for every single job created by wind energy facilities, on average private game reserves create three jobs at the local municipality, district municipality and provincial government level.

“Most jobs created by these wind facilities are temporary — they cease to exist once construction is over.

“Skilled jobs during and after the wind energy facility construction accrue to people from outside the local economy. Only temporary unskilled and semi-skilled jobs accrue to locals for a season in most cases.

“Evidence suggests a negative net job effect of wind facilities on local economies.”

Wilderness Foundation Africa chief executive Dr Andrew Muir said the minister’s ruling was perplexing, not least because the Addo Elephant National Park was in the top three tourism money-spinners for SANParks.

“Now there will be very few points in the park where a tourist will not be able to look up and see the wind farm.”

He said besides the points noted by Fowlds, the foundation had raised concerns about the turbulence from the turbines and the effect on anti-poaching aerial surveillance, which his organisation sponsored.

“Our pilots have already voiced concern about the turbulence from Grassridge Wind Farm, which is also in the area but much further away than what the Bayview facility will be.

“We will not put our pilots in danger and so I am just concerned we may have to pull back as a sponsor and that will be a serious blow for anti-poaching and endangered species like elephant and rhino.”

He said the foundation was frustrated that while SANParks had submitted initial objections to the project and a letter of support for the appeals that were lodged — it had not itself appealed.

“We know that on the ground they are as concerned about the situation as we are, but the entity itself did not appeal and that compromised our appeal.”

He said though the appellants technically had until the end of March to do so, the foundation would probably not be taking the matter further.

SANParks regional spokesperson Fay Ludick said The Herald’s questions on the appeal ruling had been referred to the environment department, under which it fell.