For peat’s sake

I watched this video currently being circulated on Facebook of peat slides in Ireland’s County Galway with considerable alarm.

The video shows huge foundations for wind turbines, borrow pits and new roads being built on areas of peat bog.

A combination of dry and then wet weather combined with the disruption caused by the industrial works caused enormous and hugely damaging peat slides.

This is the sort of environmental threat I imagine people fear will come about as a result of the Viking Energy Windfarm, and clearly with good reason.

Since this happened in 2003 I understand the Derrybrien wind farm has been completed and the government reprimanded for failing to carry out a proper environmental impact assessment.

Viking Energy have carried out such an EIA, but we can only hope and pray that they have covered such an eventuality. The mind boggles at the environmental impact this development will cause on Shetland’s blanket bog.

For peat’s sake, Viking Energy must give people an assurance that Shetland will not experience such devastation.

Hilda Sinclair
Dunoon