BY SAMMY JULIAN
CONSTRUCTION is underway for wind turbines along the coastline of San Lorenzo town in the province of Guimaras, which has an annual energy consumption of only 13 megawatts, comparatively big compared to that of Iloilo City.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has recently approved the declaration of commerciality applied by TransAsia Oil and Energy Development Corp. for its wind farm power project to be set up in the island province.
At least 27 windmills are scheduled to be completed within five years, according to Guimaras’ Gov. Samuel Gumarin, some of these will be functional enough to generate electricity within the year.
Project implementation will be done by phases and expected to be operational by the end of 2015. At its initial stage, TransAsia will be putting up six wind turbine generators or towers in San Lorenzo that would generate at least two megawatts (MW) each.
Guimaras will utilize 6MW of power capacity while the remaining power supply will be sold to neighboring Iloilo. Apart from the provision of stable power supply, the proposed wind farm is expected to rake in an additional P60 million annually to the province and is also eyed as a tourist attraction in the island.
DOE said the project will not only benefit Guimaras but also Panay Island and other areas in the Visayas. The excess electricity produced will be exported to the nearby island of Panay through a submarine cable.
The existing submarine cable that connects Guimaras to Panay has only a capacity of 5MW but TransAsia said it is willing to put up additional submarine cables so that electricity can be transmitted to other provinces.
Aside from the Guimaras project, TransAsia also has 11 other similar service contracts with an estimated capacity of 400MW once developed.
We applaud this project.
However, what the proponents failed to explore is the effect of wind turbines on those living in the vicinity.
It is quite possible that if the proposed P6.3-billion project – which would see a number of wind turbines constructed off the coast of Guimaras goes ahead – countless of people could be exposed to infrasound, a “sizeable minority” of who could potentially experience sleep disturbance.
Research show that as the size of wind turbines increase, so has the infrasound and low frequency sounds generated by them and that they are now emitting “serious amounts of noise.”
Experts point out that when you measure them with the correct filters, you find that they are producing noise levels far above what’s supposed to be permissible.
While many people are not affected, others who experience sleep disturbance may also suffer from increased blood pressure – a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
We do not want to be an alarmist, but the effects are such that they needed to be taken seriously and investigated further.
Consider the 2009 World Health Organization (WHO) report on night noise. It was established that sleep disturbance was emerging as one of the major public health concerns of the 20th century and something which particularly affect children and older people.
As we all know, sleep is absolutely essential, central to the normal physiological function of the brain and the body, and is necessary for facilitating learning.
However, the noise generated by wind turbines is particularly intrusive and incessant. It has even been described “like a train that does not pass.”
Wind turbine syndrome – a controversial term coined for the symptoms reportedly experienced by people living in the vicinity of wind farms, including sleep disturbances, headaches, dizziness, nausea, tinnitus and inability to concentrate – is real and should be further explored.
We also point to other potential health implications, including blade flicker and stress caused by impact on house prices, an inability to sell the property and impacts on the community.
Proper evaluation and monitoring of the potential effects of wind turbines need to be carried out.
We call on both the national and local government of Guimaras to carry out a full economic appraisal of wind turbines./PN
