WIND TURBINE FARM PROPOSED FOR PAMLICO SOUND
On Friday, September 25th, residents of Hatteras Island attended a public meeting at which North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue, State Senator Marc Basnight, State Representative Tim Spear, a panel of scholars, and an executive from Duke Energy presented research supporting the construction of a wind turbine farm in the Pamlico Sound west of Avon, Buxton, and Frisco. The details of extensive academic research were summarized, and cost/ benefit estimates were reviewed. The complete PowerPoint presentation can be viewed at www.climate.unc.edu/coastal-wind.
One goal of the meeting appeared to be to generate public support for a pilot project that involves the construction of one to three wind turbines at a designated site in the Pamlico Sound. As we understand the project, the most obvious and immediate impact of the wind turbine farm on Hatteras Island will be the adverse effect that it will have on the unobstructed views of the Pamlico Sound that we now enjoy. This, in turn, has potentially negative implications for the island’s rental/tourist industry as well as the real estate values of certain types of properties. There could also be repercussions for other island interests such as the fishing industry.
The main presenter at the meeting and his accompanying graphics clearly indicated that the wind turbines will be visible from the shoreline. The wind farm is planned to be located 7 to 9 miles west of Avon, Buxton, and Frisco. Each wind turbine is expected to be rise about 500 feet above the water. Five hundred feet is essentially the height of the Washington Monument (555 ft.); two and a half times as high as the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse; and , nearly one-half the height of the Empire State Building. Furthermore, as envisioned, the final project could contain as many as 138 wind turbines, covering a 25 square mile area of the Pamlico Sound.
The wind turbine project proposed for the Pamlico Sound may be just the tip of the iceberg. Offshore in the Atlantic Ocean, 311 federal lease blocks covering up to 2,800 square miles have been identified as suitable for wind farm development. Each block that is ultimately developed has been projected to hold as many as 49 wind turbines.
The associated fallout from introducing wind turbines into the unspoiled views of the sound that residents and visitors currently enjoy could reduce the rental desirability of soundfront and soundview properties as well as affecting the salability and values of homes and lots in these locations.
Not mentioned at the meeting was the fact that in early August, the North Carolina state Senate voted overwhelmingly (42-1) to ban wind turbine farms from the state’s western mountains. Does this imply that the spectacular beauty of Hatteras Island’s unobstructed sunset views across the Pamlico Sound is less worthy of preservation than views in the mountains?
There are many good reasons to consider wind power as an alternative energy source. However, many unanswered questions and some very serious concerns about the proposed project in Pamlico Sound have yet to be addressed.
If you would like to express your views and opinions concerning the proposed wind turbine project, please contact the following individuals:
• Dare County Commissioners – dcboc@darenc.com
• Hatteras Island County Commissioner Allen Burrus – AllenB@darenc.com
• Representative Tim Spear – 919.733.3029 or Tim.Spear@ncleg.net
• Senator Marc Basnight – 919.733.6854 or Marc.Basnight@ncleg.net
• Governor Beverly Purdue – 919.733.2120 (Fax)