Community / ‘Complaints are taken seriously’ – SSE responds to call for some turbines to be decommissioned
SSE RENEWABLES has re-iterated it takes complaints about noise from the Viking Energy wind farm seriously but has not responded to calls to switch some turbines off in certain weather conditions.
It comes after a well-attended meeting last week about low frequency noise from the 103 turbine wind farm.
‘Sally’s experience is not unusual’ – calls for turbines closest to homes to be decommissioned
Westside resident Sally Huband said she and her family had to sell their home in East Burrafirth after she became severely affected by infrasound emitted from the turbines.
The meeting also heard from Melvin Grosvenor, an expert on the issue of inaudible noise emissions from wind turbines, who said the wind industry was well aware of the potential impact of infrasound noise on human health.
Huband called on SSE to work with residents to ensure turbines are being operated within safe limits.
To that end she called on the company to carry out acoustic measurements down to 0.1 Hz, a frequency that cannot be heard by humans, and to explore ways with SSE to decommission some of the Viking turbines.
In response, the company said: “The Viking wind farm continues to voluntarily monitor noise on site, operating within acceptable levels as defined within our planning consent and statutory guidelines.
“We take all complaints raised with us very seriously and would encourage anyone who has concerns to contact us directly so this can be fully investigated.”
Huband said: “I would recommend contacting the SIC environmental health officers to make a noise complaint.
“Complaining to SSE directly severely impacted my mental health and eight months later, they have still not released the data collected in our former garden.”
And she floated the idea of an in-person meeting with representatives from SSE, “perhaps hosted by our MP or MSP” to give the company an opportunity “to explain why they built Viking’s turbines so dangerously close to so many of our homes”.
She added: “We could also invite the Scottish Government’s directorate for energy and climate change and Public Health Scotland to set out how the Scottish Government will reform the turbine noise regulation ETSU-R-97 to include subaudible blade pass emissions down to 0.1 Hz to protect the health and well-being of communities impacted by onshore (and close to shore) offshore wind developments.”
Local MSP Beatrice Wishart meanwhile said more consideration towards those living close to wind farm sites would go a long way.
“I met with Sally recently to discuss the impacts of low frequency noise from wind turbines,” she said.
“There is now more recognition about the impact on health from wind turbines, like shadow flicker, but more questions need to be raised to get a better understanding low frequency noise and how it might be mitigated.
“I have previously raised the concerns of constituents about the distance between properties and wind turbines. Surely, with a bit more consideration and thought to those living near to developments, we can have both without householders feeling sidelined.”
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