Falklands owned new wind farm to supply Mount Pleasant Complex

Wednesday, December 19th 2012 - 20:37 UTC

Full article 52 comments

The Falkland Islands Government Chief Executive, Keith Padgett, Commander British Forces, Brigadier Bill Aldridge and Paul Wilson from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation have signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) for the construction of a new wind farm at Mare Harbour. Read full article

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redpoll
Hope you arent getting windy Falklanders!Seriously great news. I
s that turbine down at North Arm up and running?
Dec 19th, 2012 - 08:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Shed-time
Power infrastructure is nice. So is communications infrastructure. However, when are you getting the University of the Falklands, where you get Chilean students to study English at a reasonable price, courses on Antarctic / Environmental studies and Oil&Gas?

Something similar to the University of Aberdeen would do.
Dec 19th, 2012 - 08:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Pirate Love
Great idea, all that hot air coming form argentina why not use it to generate power, Thanks Argentina, keep the anti-UK rhetoric going.....

brilliant long sighted progress.

SELF-DETERMINATION
Dec 19th, 2012 - 09:09 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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MrFlagpole
Well done British army on using renewable energy. Mean while, back in argentina,....

.....they still haven't cleared the minefields they left on the islands they love so much.

What's green and hard? (The answer is the British army, not cfk's penis)
Dec 19th, 2012 - 11:08 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Shed-time
@4 kermit on viagra?
Dec 19th, 2012 - 11:09 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Monty69
2 Shed-time

Err.... never. We have a smaller population than the University of Aberdeen. Next question?
Dec 20th, 2012 - 12:14 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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ProRG_American
I am glad that the climate is changing for the better in the South Atlantic. They say that the winds are dying down from one year to another.
Dec 20th, 2012 - 05:02 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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reality check
LMFHO
Frist he says there's no oil, now he says there's no wind!!
Say it again,
LMFHO
Dec 20th, 2012 - 07:21 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Britishbulldog
Cant believe it. We are now giving up with wind farms in Britain because we find them expensive and unreliable especially in winter when they stop working because of ice on the blades or if it get a tad to windy. So good luck in your winter when you have to use some other form of power or even in summer when the wind blows a little bit hard.
Dec 20th, 2012 - 08:01 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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slattzzz
Pro arg what a dipstick. You reckon your ex USN well no wonder they kicked you out with statements like that LMFAO.
Dec 20th, 2012 - 08:17 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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reality check
Slatzzz
Come off it mate, any jack could have made the same mistake. I mean, it's not like the South Atlantic is known for its wind conditions, is it?
LMFHO, Climate change! man how desperate can you get.

Just watch this space mate, when the oil starts to come ashore , he'll claim it's the wrong sort and only suitable for salads!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dec 20th, 2012 - 08:42 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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googer62
@9 So far ours have proved to be extremely reliable all year round and I have not heard reports of blades icing up. I guess the moisture content/temperature may be a little different.
Dec 20th, 2012 - 09:08 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Martin Woodhead
Ideal place for windpower it never stops blowing.
Bit like my nose when I was there :)
Dec 20th, 2012 - 09:40 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Frank
Last I heard they had an issue with excess power in the wee small hours from the existing farm..... simple solution... big heat sinks in the poly tunnels to grow more yummy Falklands tomatoes.... they say there is a ready market with the cruise liners who prefer to buy fresh Falklands produce rather than maggoty crap from Ushuaia ( where the ships won't be calling anymore anywaze.....)
Dec 20th, 2012 - 10:37 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Clyde15
I am surrounded by windfarms here on the west of Scotland.
For the Falklands it is probably a good idea as with a small population, the demand for power is not huge.
There is a wind farm about 25 miles from where I stay which is the largest in Europe and even bigger ones are planned.
It is interesting to see how they perform day- by- day.
When the wind stops, (highly unusual here), they look like something from Don Quixote. However, when the wind blows fiercely, I feel a bit uneasy as I wonder what would happen if one of the blades sheared off. Last winter, in hurricane force winds, one of the generators burst into flame as it was over driven - it looked like giant candle !
I feel that we should be investing in tidal power as this is constant and does not rely on weather.
Dec 20th, 2012 - 11:09 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Monty69
9 Britishbulldog

The first two phases of the wind farm have been a great success. They don't ice up in winter because we don't get very cold winters, and they cope with the wind just fine. The smaller settlements have had wind power for 15 years now, and the most troublesome part is the inverter, not the turbine.
This is not the UK, and we do know a thing or two about wind.
Dec 20th, 2012 - 11:13 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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JIB
Obsesion of posters around here with Argentina is really laughable.
Dec 20th, 2012 - 12:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Anbar
“”“Obsesion of posters around here with Argentina is really laughable.”“””

and that's just the Argentine, you should see the Brits.... ¬_¬
Dec 20th, 2012 - 12:24 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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reality check
No1 harrassing the legitimate right of the Falkland Islanders to live a life they choose. What you read here, is called solidarity.

Of course, if the events of 1982 and subsequent events since, did not occur, all of this would be academic and this site, slightly boring.
Dec 20th, 2012 - 12:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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gustbury
You can extract gas from its rear pigs!! :)
Dec 20th, 2012 - 01:33 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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reality check
You can extract gas from shale, maybe!!!!!!!!
Dec 20th, 2012 - 01:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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briton
we thought the islanders had enough wind comming in from the argies, and the opening of the CFK mouth,

wind farms aint that good for britain,
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
15@
iagree with you,
we should invest in tidal power, after all we are an island surounded by water,

is their not something like this happening one one of the islands up their,
im sure we heard of a test being done..
Dec 20th, 2012 - 01:48 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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gustbury
Brits asses produces many gas!!! hahahaha pig thieves
Dec 20th, 2012 - 01:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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briton
now now,
the only registered thieves are argentine goverment,

but dont worry, we will look after the islanders,

meanwhile the argentine goverment are building anoth aylum,
Dec 20th, 2012 - 02:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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gustbury
24@you can take care of it hanging between my legs too!!! hahahah
Dec 20th, 2012 - 02:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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reality check
My personal favourite.

Tinman and KFC shagging in the driveway of one of her palaces.

KFC: “Oh hah, hah, mmm, mmm, gasp, gasp. hah.”
Tinman. “Are you coming my darling!!!!”
KFC. “No, your shovelling the gravel up my ass.”
Dec 20th, 2012 - 02:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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briton
Id rather hang of CFK tongue

Besides, when did you Argies ever grow balls,

Ping pong perhaps lol
Dec 20th, 2012 - 02:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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reality check
Course he's got balls. If you care to see them, they're hanging on the barbed wire at Gosse Green!
Dec 20th, 2012 - 02:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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briton
ha ha.
Dec 20th, 2012 - 02:24 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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redpoll
@15, 22 Clyde and Briton, thats an interesting point you made about tidal versus wind turbines and I fail to understand why this technology has not been used more as it is much more efficient that windmills. The tide turbine installed at the mouth of Strangford Loogh in Northern Island runs 22/7 and produces enough power for 15,000 homes and has been up and running since 2008 with only minor glitches.
I dont know enough about tidal differences in the FI.to give an opinion if this would be a viable alternative. Perhaps with the average wind speeds in the FI windmills will work more efficiently than in UK
As far as Scotland is concerned there a multitude of sites where this type of tidal turbine would work, the Falls of Lora at the mouth of the sea Loch Etive being only one of many.
To illustrate this mad dash for subsidized windfarms, a wee anecdote. The now disused aerodrome of Pulham in Norfolk was chosen as the least windy place in East Anglia for an airship base for obvious reasons. And what are these crazy nutters doing there now? Yep, you guessed it . Installing a wind farm of course
Sorry for straying a bit off topic. A Happy Xmas to all
Dec 20th, 2012 - 02:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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briton
no problem,
this tide thing should be expanded, and used for the good of the people,
rather than the proffits of the rich,
and as they are making millions on these farms, perhaps this is one reason the british goverment [at least] shows no interest.

we all pat enough now,
soyes, this tidal power should be expanded if possable,
and in public hands.
Dec 20th, 2012 - 02:33 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Shed-time
wind farms are fine, they're just good for localised power production. They're not going to be good for everything everywhere because there simply isn't consistent wind everywhere in the UK.

If you want consistency, choose nuclear.
Dec 20th, 2012 - 02:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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redpoll
31, 32 I think you will find that the UK govt is subsidizing these privately owne d windfarms pretty heavily which you as a Brit taxpayer are paying for
As for nuclear the science is fine but humans tend to bugger it up. Remember the accidents at Windscales, Three Mile Island, Chernovyl and Japan? Problem 2 is the disposal of the radioactive waste. Argentina has at least two nuclear power stations, some of which are 50 miles from the Uruguayan frontier. Very little hard info is available about that. What do they do with thier waste? Are they regularly inspected by relevant international body? I dont know. If I thought about that too much not much sleep at night!
Dec 20th, 2012 - 03:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Shed-time
@33 I'm just saying nuclear provides a stable and reliable source of cheap energy, and once you turn it on, you can just leave it there chugging away.

It's only when a massive wave destroys most of the protective features, or the fault detection goes awry that you have issues and then it typically irradiates everything down-wind of it for another 300 years, including schools and cakes.

Wind farms seem to have their brakes on most of the time due to high winds or breaks on due to low winds. They're not the answer to every energy issue.
Dec 20th, 2012 - 04:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Conqueror
@25 No problem. If you could cut it off and send it, I could use it on the end of my garden hose. It's not as though you'll ever need it!
Dec 20th, 2012 - 04:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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redpoll
@34 Dont kow if its that cheap if you take into account the decommisioning costs when the palnt is life exspired. I am not anti nuclear but the politicos kick this can down the road for he next generation to solve. So what is the real cost??
Dec 20th, 2012 - 05:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Clyde15
I believe they are installing tidal power generators in the Pentland Firth between Caithness and Orkney. The tidal race here is fierce and should be able to produce electricity in abundance.
However, I have no idea of the expected life span of these units as salt water is a sore taskmaster.
Dec 20th, 2012 - 05:34 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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redpoll
Agreed clyde But I think Seagen have done thier numbers with the Strangford prototype
Dec 20th, 2012 - 06:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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briton
well,
lets hope it works for the islanders..
Dec 20th, 2012 - 07:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Steve-33-uk
'Discomfort in Argentina to baptize “Land of Queen Elizabeth” to a part of Antarctica - The Senate rejected the British decision to consider a provocation. Buenos Aires claims sovereignty of that territory'

http://www.abc.es/internacional/20121220/abci-argentina-condena-reino-unido-reina-antartida-201212201624.html
Dec 20th, 2012 - 08:56 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Joe Bloggs
No part of Antarctica should belong to the UK, Argentina or any other sole country.
Dec 20th, 2012 - 08:59 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Shed-time
@40 The argentine senate unanimously declares they will reanimate adolf, nestor and peron... blah blah blah

Usual tripe from the mullet-strokers.
Dec 20th, 2012 - 10:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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reality check
Courtesy of google.

“The name ”Queen Elizabeth Land“ will be used in future on all British maps, but due to the unique status of Antarctica, it will be up to other countries to recognise the name if they see fit.”

Translated for the benefit of the Argentine Senate, who give a toss what you think.
Dec 21st, 2012 - 07:00 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Pete Bog
@40
“'Discomfort in Argentina to baptize “Land of Queen Elizabeth” to a part of Antarctica -”
But no discomfort about rioting, looting and a failing economy.
As usual Argentina knows what its' priorites are...
Dec 21st, 2012 - 05:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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briton
Argentina CFK is just jealous because she cant claim it
And her envy shows,

Just think of what South America would look like under argentine occupation.
.
Dec 22nd, 2012 - 08:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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British_Kirchnerist
Good news, I'm all for windfarms, wish we'd build more back here in the mother country...
Dec 24th, 2012 - 11:43 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Clyde15
#46
You obviously don't live here or you would change your viewpoint. They are built because a huge subsidy is paid for each wind turbine installed . I see them almost every day and it seems that they are either stopped because the wind is too strong or there is not enough wind. Add to that they are a blot on the landscape.
Dec 24th, 2012 - 01:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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redpoll
47 Our Kilty Kirchnerist couldnt be bothered to read previous comments on this blog in some detail so no point in answering him
Dec 24th, 2012 - 05:39 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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British_Kirchnerist
#47 Shall I reply with a list of the downsides of oil, first among which is that it will eventually and relatively soon run out?! So we really have to find alternatives, even if they are an “eyesore” to some (mainly nimbys and climate change deniers). Funnily enough until they recently became a source of renewable energy, everyone loved and was sentimental about windmills as a charming part of the past...
Dec 27th, 2012 - 02:24 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Clyde15
#49
Where is your nearest wind farm ?
Every time I go out into the country, I seem to come across a new development. Ever hill in the south of the country seems to sport these enormous pylons. The only reason that there are so many is because of the subsidies paid for them . See the link below
http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/12/21/wind-farm-subsidies-called-into-question-by-new-study-61634-32474854/
More research should be made for Co2 capture from coal power stations. At least this would give some jobs to the coal mining industry in the UK.
Tidal power is the most obvious method for generating electricity and is available 365 days a year.
Comparing old windmills to gigantic wind turbines is somewhat disingenuous.
Dec 27th, 2012 - 06:36 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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British_Kirchnerist
“More research should be made for Co2 capture from coal power stations. At least this would give some jobs to the coal mining industry in the UK.
Tidal power is the most obvious method for generating electricity and is available 365 days a year”

I agree, but its not either or...
Dec 27th, 2012 - 09:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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redpoll
No its either and Kilroy
Dec 28th, 2012 - 12:27 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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