The German power company, RWE, has submitted plans for a nuclear power station at Kirksanton in Cumbria, which will result in the destruction of the two long established Haverigg windclusters.

The Haverigg windcluster site, on the fringes of the Lake District National Park, is home to one of the UKs first wind energy projects. Commissioned in 1992 by Windcluster Ltd, a small privately owned company, it was heralded by Friends of the Lake District as a fine example of appropriate wind energy development. The wind turbines were financed by a pioneering group of ethical investors and are widely regarded as an exemplary example of sensitive and sustainable wind energy development. The site was subsequently expanded to a total of eight turbines and enjoys widespread local support.

Baywind, the owner of one of the eight turbines was founded in 1996 and over one third of its 1,300 members come from the local area. Baywind Director Annette Heslop commented: Baywind is a pioneering and hugely successful project with a national profile; it is a source of great pride to many in this community and has served as an inspiration to thousands of people across the country. To face the prospect of having part of Baywind casually destroyed in this way is completely unacceptable. There is inequity in the approach by the Government towards nuclear, such as a dedicated website by decc where is the equivalent for wind power? If a tiny fraction of the money pumped into nuclear plants was instead to be devoted to community renewables we might all face

a much more sustainable future in which ordinary people owned their own energy supplies.

If RWEs plans proceed, these turbines will be destroyed and the green electricity they produce will be lost.

Colin Palmer, founder of Windcluster Ltd, said: The first we heard was when the proposals were made public, which is contrary to the nomination requirements that stipulate early consultation with key stakeholders. My first reaction was disbelief, quickly followed by a sense of years of commitment to sustainable energy being destroyed. At a time when the government is calling for wind energy development to be accelerated, it beggars belief that they are supporting plans that will result in the destruction of existing capacity.

I also wonder at the thinking of RWE. How can it promote its Juice green power from its own wind turbines while at the same time be exploiting the special planning powers available to nuclear power developers to destroy other wind energy projects.

Triodos Renewables, a plc owned by over 4,000 investors, and the owner of three of the turbines on the site shares Windcluster's concerns. Its Operations Director, Matthew Clayton, said, It's staggering that they don't exclude areas that are already productive sites for renewable technologies as part of the initial screening process. It just isn't very joined up. They're stamping out prime wind sites with arguably a much less sustainable technology.