MOD has objected to at least four planned wind farms due to concerns they could cause ‘unacceptable interference’ with military aircraft radars
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In the last year, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has objected to at least four planned wind farms, citing concerns that they could cause ‘unacceptable interference’ with radars used to spot military aircraft.
The rotating turbine blades confuse the radars, which usually filter out tall buildings, trees and other stationary objects. Turbines could also cast a radar shadow behind them, where enemy planes could be rendered invisible, although research has said this would last only a few hundred metres and hide only small objects.
The latest objection the MOD has is to the Hope Moor project, which could see 23 turbines built, each 200 metres high, bridging the boundaries of Yorkshire and County Durham. Alone, this project would generate more than 100MW of clean energy – enough to power 81,000 homes and businesses.
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Other objections have included plans to build an onshore windfarm totalling six turbines at Burton Agnes in the East Yorkshire Wolds. In addition, the Ministry of Defence called the building of a 13-turbine wind farm near the Scottish borders ‘unmanageable’, while a proposed 87-turbine build in the Irish Sea has also raised concerns over potential interference with aviation radar systems.
Often, MoD objections to wind farms do not rule out development, but instead lead to minor changes to turbine size or height.
Back in August, the MoD objected to proposals for a wind farm in the East Yorkshire Wolds, saying turbines would interfere with radar systems and become a ‘physical obstruction to low-flying aircraft’. Some training exercises could be as low as 76.2 metres (250 feet), and the turbines reach heights of 149 metres (491 feet).
