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48
January 11, 2015
RISKS: Fitness regime
Don’t run
risk of a
bad injury
By NICK BRAMHILL
MANY people
l
who have taken up
jogging as part of their
EXCLUSIVE CALL FOR BAN ON ‘TICKING TIMEBOMBS’
FAULTY TOWERS?
New Year’s resolution
will already be nursing
injuries by next week,
experts have warned.
Watchdogs said that
a significant number
will end up with sprains,
strains or worse injuries
in the coming days.
Research among
more than 1,000
runners by GPS watchmaker TomTom found tht
only 32 per cent followed
a proper training plan,
while just 42pc used
technology to help them
exercise effectively.
The study also found
that just six pc knew
how to achieve any goals
they had set themselves.
A spokesman for
TomTom said: “Most
people give up on their
resolutions by Jan 10,
so knowing how you are
performing against your
goals is a great way of
keeping you motivated.”
NEWS
IN BRIEF
RATS ON THE
GREEN PROBE
GALWAY City Council
is to investigate claims
that there is a significant
number of rats present in
a city estate.
Rats have regularly
been seen gathered on
a public green area at
Ballinfoile Park during
the day. The estate has
been the site of problems
with sewage overflow in
previous months.
The council has
confirmed that staff will
investigate the presence
of rats in the area.
“Open up New
Opportunities
in 2015”
SHOCKING:
The 80m
Co Tyrone
turbine after
its collapse
l
49
January 11, 2015
l
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Why is it that so many Students choose Us to
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By BLÁNAID MURPHY
CAMPAIGNERS against
giant wind turbines have
called for an urgent probe
into the “ticking timebombs” before there is a
real disaster.
Safety fears have mounted
after an 80m (262ft) turbine
– almost as high as the Spire
on Dublin’s O’Connell Street
– dramatically collapsed
last week.
Locals said vibrations could
be felt several kilometres away
when the towering turbine
in Co Tyrone crashed to the
ground leaving debris strewn
across the mountainside.
The Screggagh wind farm has
been temporarily shut while an
investigation is carried out into
why the machine toppled in light
winds.
Earmarked
A further 26 turbines of the same
model are already earmarked
for Knockduff, Co Cork – adding
to the 217 wind farms already in
operation across Ireland.
Architect Anthony Cohu, from
the campaign group West Cork
Wind, believes the spinning structures could be potentially “catastrophic” and has called for an
independent government review.
He explained: “There’s no security fencing and there are no
barriers to prevent all the fluids
coming from the turbines – which
are potentially very toxic – leaking
out and into water courses.
“All these things should be reviewed with a full investigation.
They should be investing in bio-
Campaigners seeking
an urgent review into
wind turbines after
devastating collapse
mass energy production instead
of wind farming.
“There is a question over whether the wind turbines that are
being installed in the massive
Knockduff wind farm are safe,
after the catastrophic failure of
the tower in Screggagh.
“What is alarming is that the
Knockduff wind turbines are the
same make and power rating as
the Nordex N80/2500 wind turbine
in Screggagh.
“Wind turbines share the same
potential to inflict harm as any
large item of industrial machinery
and the risk of ‘throw’ is there
particularly since the blade tip
speed can be 300kph.
“This calls into question the
safety of people and especially
children living where wind turbines are located.”
Fellow campaigner Nigel de
Haas added: “It amazes me that
this tower collapsed. People have
been designing these for 150 years
and the new ones going into Cork
are the same models. Has that
shortcoming been overcome? I
have written to the Government
asking for a full review.”
Currently, wind turbines are
not permitted to be built within
500 metres of residential homes.
In March 2013 a 245ft wind turbine collapsed at Loughderryduff,
Co Donegal, during strong winds,
prompting questions to the manufacturers of the turbine, Danish
company Vesta.
And in December of the same
year, a high-speed blade tip
snipped off a wind turbine owned
by Gamesa near Killybegs, Co
Donegal, and stabbed the ground.
Flaming
And in June 2014 a flaming turbine blade almost sparked a fire
in Cork after it was thrown several
metres from the machine.
Owen McMullan, from West
Tyrone against Wind Turbines,
called for a complete halt to all
industrial wind turbine operation
until the conclusion of the investigation into last week’s collapse.
“These industrial wind turbines
are ticking time-bombs and fire
hazards,” he fumed.
Ralf Peters, spokesman for the
turbine makers Nordex in Ger-
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CARNAGE:
The broken
stump of
the turbine
after collapse
New Attendance courses
commencing in February
2015:
many, said: “We are
still investigating the
root cause of the incident. But we have
checked all turbines
of this type via remote control and on
the basis of the first
findings have found
no abnormalities. We
are therefore convinced
that the operation of our
turbines is safe.”
Mr Peters insisted that an order
for 26 wind turbines for the project in Cork will go ahead.
Green Energy Supply is to install turbines in Knockduff in
August, after it sealed the
deal with Nordex last
month. They are a
higher-speed model.
The wind turbines
are part of a nationwide project
to upgrade Ireland’s electricity
network.
Eirgrid
is
planning to
WARNING:
erect
hunActivist
dreds of giganAnthony
Cohu
tic electricity pylons
across 19 counties
with wind farms
being built independently to supply
power.
Paddy Massey,
a spokesman for
ReThink Pylons,
told the Sunday World:
“Eirgrid and the Government need to stop and
think about what they are
doing.
“The plan to erect
hundreds of these massive
pylons and turbines will
ruin our beautiful countryside, destroy our landscape
and ruin tourism.
“You have one government department pushing tourism, and then
another pushing ahead
with these monstrosities.
He added: “This
€4billion project,
called Grid 25, is
technically
just
another tax on the
consumer.”
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