Wind farm plan concerns surging, say protesters
BBCProtesters have insisted they will not back down from their opposition to a proposed £4.5bn wind farm off the Isle of Man coast, as they gathered outside the Manx parliament on its final sitting before September's general election.
The Mooir Vannin offshore wind farm proposals by Danish energy giant Orsted would see 87 turbines built six to 12 miles (11.1km to 22.2km) off the eastern coast of Maughold.
Campaign group No Offshore Turbines for the Isle of Man (NOT4IOM) said public concern had surged in the past four months as the examination board had looked into the application.
Orsted has been approached for comment, while the Planning Inspectorate's recommendation is due on 8 September.
The protest came on this administration's final sitting of Tynwald before it dissolves for the summer.
Heading up the group, Georgina O'Sullivan said support had grown to more than "10,000 people now, that do not agree with the Mooir Vannin Wind Farm".
The latest protest follows a peaceful demonstration at this year's Tynwald Day open-air sitting of parliament, on 6 July.
O'Sullivan said public resistance to the plans was growing.
She said it was the "largest ever in the Isle of Man's history of public voice saying one thing - they don't want this".
She described the project as "the biggest in the world planned at this point in time, off a tiny island that is a biosphere," and said it would sit "six nautical miles off our shores".
A personal petition was submitted on her behalf by Onchan MHK Julie Edge, calling for major projects to require public mandate.
O'Sullivan said: "Nobody feels that we've had any say in this. The whole thing is very non‑transparent."
Undemocratic fears were echoed by some in the crowd, including Didier Lucotte who lives in Douglas.
He said he believed that "90% of the population are not aware about this," calling it "a problem of democracy."
He said the project did "not make any sense at all," adding: "This company belongs 51% to Denmark. The electricity will be for the UK."
Alison Corlett, also from Douglas, said: "The more I read about what this proposal is, the more horrified I am about the devastation it would cause to our seas and our wildlife."
"Some of the seas around the Isle of Man have got special international significance. This wind farm would be devastating," she added.
Protester Elaine Murray, from Maughold, said the issue would shape her vote at the upcoming election.
She said: "They're selling the Isle of Man for money. It's all our heritage."
She added the east coast was "stunning" and warned the project would "ruin it all".
Murray added she would "rather pay more electricity on our electricity bill than have that eyesore," and warned future generations would "be paying the price for the mismanagement of this".
Previously, Orsted's project director Jamie Baldwin said the firm could install a cable to connect the wind farm to the island.
The other option being considered was to solely connect the wind farm to the UK grid, which would then be bought by the island.
The £4.5bn project, which spans 81 sq miles (211 sq km), would generate far more than what the island would require, he said, so the majority of energy would go back to the UK.
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