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Regional: wind turbines electrify the debate

2021-06-21T21:16:25.727Z


Opponents of this form of renewable energy took full advantage of the campaign to denounce the damage caused to the landscapes


It is the surprise guest of the regional.

At the end of the campaign, a single debate between candidates does not end in a tussle over the wind turbines.

There are those who defend them in the name of the climate - the green people, of course - and those who no longer want to hear about it.

An increasingly popular category.

The first to have made it her hobbyhorse is Marine Le Pen.

The president of the National Gathering calls for "a moratorium" on new constructions.

Its candidates campaign by deploring the "destruction of natural heritage", even campaigning for the "dismantling" of certain equipment.

The RN is not the only one to attack the steel giants, in the hope of rallying the rural population. Xavier Bertrand made it one of his main arguments: “We're sick of being disfigured! Wind power is enough, it encircles our populations, ”repeats the outgoing president of Hauts-de-France. Its region concentrates nearly 20% of the country's wind turbines. If he is re-elected, the former minister of Nicolas Sarkozy promises to subsidize associations which will lodge appeals in the courts.

In this offensive, we also find the boss of Debout la France, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (he says he is "standing up against the wind turbines") and several figures of the Republicans, like the deputy Julien Aubert or the LR candidate in Occitania. Aurélien Pradié. These bladed mastodons "transfer nuisances to rural areas", he writes in his program.

Will this slingshot hit the mark? Will wind turbines be the new “carbon tax”? In the executive, we reject any parallel with the crisis of yellow vests. “The carbon tax was seen as an attack on purchasing power, and wind power is the cheapest energy. It is good for the French wallet, ”insists an adviser to Matignon. Nonetheless, comments a communicator close to the majority, “there are indeed two France who oppose each other: urbanites and ecologists who consider that it is a mark of modernity. And those who don't want to see wind turbines near their garden. "

In this context, the authorities are showing themselves every day more… cautious.

"Emmanuel Macron looks at the subject closely," we slip at the Elysee.

“In any case, he has never been a fan of onshore wind turbines,” laments a professional in the sector.

In terms of carbon-free energy, the president is more prolific on the promises of hydrogen or nuclear.

His friend, host Stéphane Bern, is also leading a highly publicized offensive against wind turbines ...

For Nicolas Hulot, a "political recovery that turns its back on the meaning of History"

The Head of State instructed the Minister of Ecological Transition, Barbara Pompili, to work on a better geographical distribution, by mapping the areas most suitable for new installations. A job that will not come to fruition for six months. However, the puzzle has only just begun. France is lagging behind: wind power represents less than 9% of our electricity. The government has set a target of doubling its wind energy capacity by 2028 to meet its greenhouse gas reduction commitments. We will have to pass the gearbox on land and at sea.

“The detractors of wind turbines are betting that it is easier to unite by being against something rather than for fossil fuel or for nuclear energy. But what do they defend as an energy alternative, asks someone close to Jean Castex. Every energy has its faults. This is why we have to think in terms of the energy mix. "

Barbara Pompili may defend this energy which avoids "the emission of the equivalent of 8 million vehicles in circulation", the Minister for the Ecological Transition, who regrets a campaign of "disinformation" led by the opposition, however struggles to defend wind power in its own camp. The ex-elected EELV indeed appears isolated. It has thus just lost an important arbitration. Matignon agreed with the Ministry of the Armed Forces in restricting the construction of wind turbines to less than 70 km from a military radar (against 30 km previously). However, France has several dozen. This reduces the possible coverage as much ...

"The race for the size of wind turbines, some of which are 200 m, involves a risk of embarrassment," explains the Ministry of the Armed Forces. An aircraft could pass behind a field of wind turbines at low altitude. It is a matter of national security. A ministerial instruction has been passed. Much to the chagrin of wind turbine builders.

Source: leparis

All news articles on 2021-06-21

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