Wind Turbines in the French countryside

Les �oliennes attaquent notre village ! (French and English version)

Comme de nombreux villages ruraux en France, les promoteurs �oliens en connaissance de cause, continuent leur chasse aux agriculteurs propri�taires de terrains pour y installer leurs gigantesques �oliennes qui doivent � soit disant � permettre le remplacement des centrales nucl�aires ou pr�parer la transition �nerg�tique.Cet argument illogique et sans fondement influence fortement les maires et leurs �lus dans nos campagnes qui acceptent favorablement tous les projets �oliens sur le territoire de leurs communes. Epargnes est un village de petite taille mais avec de nombreux hameaux, situ� sur un domaine agricole et viticole il vit au rythme des saisons, paisiblement, encourageant le tourisme vert, les liens sociaux et les valeurs morales qui sont � mon avis les qualit�s premi�res des habitants de ce village situ� � 6 kilom�tres de l�estuaire de la Gironde et �

une vingtaine de kilom�tres des stations baln�aires comme Royan.

Bien loin d�internet et de ses r�seaux sociaux, ( pour eux, je cite � il y a plus de choses inexactes que d�informations av�r�es et solides" � la Maire et ses �lus sont toutefois pr�occup�s par l�actualit�, l�environnement , les probl�mes de recyclage * des d�chets nucl�aires en particuliers (je vais revenir sur le recyclage dans un autre article) et comme tout le monde, inquiets pour l�avenir du territoire, pour nos enfants et petit-enfants.

C'est dans ce contexte favorable que deux soci�t�s promoteurs de parcs �oliens ont re�u un accueil favorable de l��quipe municipale et, l�autorisation d�effectuer des �tudes de faisabilit� qui ont �t� accord�es � deux reprises (conseils municipaux). Le lobby �olien est extr�mement puissant en France, la France ayant un retard � rattraper par rapport � ses voisins allemands. Les promoteurs ont sans difficult� convaincu l��quipe municipale partisane pour implanter des �oliennes dans une for�t en dehors du bourg. Les habitants du village ont �t� tenu � l��cart de cette d�cision. Et �tant donn� que les associations anti-�oliennes se sont multipli�es depuis quelques ann�es et qu�elles d�ploient toutes leurs armes juridiques mises � leur disposition, les promoteurs conseillent aux maires et leur �quipe d��tre discrets. Les investissements sont co�teux �..

Epargnes ne fait pas partie des plus beaux villages de France, l��glise n�est pas class�e, la loi littorale ne s�applique pas,donc le village ne repr�sente aucune difficult� majeure pour les promoteurs d��oliennes.

C�est la soci�t� WKN, une soci�t� franco-allemande bas�e � Nantes qui a �t� choisie par le conseil municipal ,WKN est aussi associ�e � l�investisseur britannique John Laing Group qui finance de nombreux  projets de parcs �oliens en France (par exemple,en Picardie, projet tr�s important).

En France, le conseil municipal est l'assembl�e d�lib�rante �lue de la commune charg� de � r�gler, par ses d�lib�rations, les affaires de la commune �Le conseil municipal doit se r�unir au moins une fois par trimestre, ou sur demande motiv�e d'au moins le tiers de ses membres, mais se r�unit le plus souvent une fois par mois.
Le conseil municipal  � Epargnes est compos� de 13 personnes . La maire
(agricultrice) , le premier adjoint ( gendarme � la retraite et contre le projet mais il a vot� pour par d�sappointement et amertume expliquant que cela ne servait � rien d��tre contre) le deuxi�me adjoint charg� de l�urbanisme responsable du projet ( instituteur) ayant peut-�tre des ambitions politiques d'apr�s certains et tr�s favorable � l�aboutissement du projet.

Les petits villages sont des proies faciles pour les commerciaux des promoteurs d��oliennes et ils profitent de la cr�dulit� et l�app�t du gain de certains propri�taires terriens. D�ailleurs, il s�av�re qu�un grand nombre d��lus en France ont �t� condamn�s pour prise ill�gale d�int�r�t . Dans notre village, l�honn�tet� et les valeurs morales sont une qualit� premi�re.

Le village d�Epargnes jusqu�ici ��pargn� va donc accueillir son parc d��oliennes probablement dans quelques ann�es.

Apr�s une r�union avec la Maire du village pour exposer et expliquer l�insatisfaction d�avoir �t� tenu � l��cart du projet, et aborder les probl�mes des infra-sons li�s aux �oliennes (elle a avou� d'ailleurs qu elle �ignorait les effets n�fastes des �oliennes) , ainsi que la productivit� �lectrique tr�s  r�duite, la maire a conclu qu�elle n��tait pas convaincue par l�argumentation et que le projet allait se faire malgr� tout�.Elle a m�me pr�cis�  qu�en tant que propri�taire d�une parcelle de for�t elle allait la vendre � la commune  pour y faire implanter une �olienne�.

En conclusion sur ce sujet sensible, je ne suis  personnellement pas partisane d�une �nergie en particulier, je vous invite � lire l�article de Jacques Attali qui pense qu�une concertation intelligente est n�cessaire avant de prendre des d�cisions avec pr�cipitation. En ce qui me concerne je pense qu�il y a des endroits mieux adapt�s pour installer des �oliennes, laissons nos for�ts telles qu�elles sont, �loignons ces grands m�ts de nos habitations, il est regrettable que pour nos �lus le probl�me li� aux infrasons ne soit pas un facteur d�terminant pour revenir sur une d�cision qui malheureusement sera irr�versible pendant au moins 20 ans. Il est dommage qu�ils n�aient pas �t� sensibilis�s aux recommandations des acad�mies de m�decine qui ont,par souci de pr�caution ,alert� les pouvoirs publics qui n'ont plus accord� de permis de construire pour des �oliennes terrestres ( Voir le Danemark). Esp�rons que les sympt�mes d�crits par des habitants r�sidents � moins de dix kilom�tres d�un parc �olien ne soient que chim�res !!! je ne peux quand m�me m�emp�cher d'�voquer le scandale de l�amiante, souhaitons tous, que l��olien ne soit pas le futur scandale sanitaire en France �..

La seule petite note positive est pour nos jeunes qui d�sirent acc�der � la propri�t� dans les r�gions touristiques, la d�pr�ciation immobili�re due aux �oliennes leur permettra peut-�tre d�acheter leur maison � moindre co�t.
Remerciements : photowwwleseoliennes.be/parceolien

English version
Like many rural villages in France, smart wind turbines promotors who know what they are talking about, continue chasing farmers and land owners in order to install their gigantic wind turbines which should alledgedly replace the power plants and prepare people to the energetic transition.
This ill-advised and irrational argument  has a strong effect on Mayors and their elected representatives in agricultural villages who favourably welcome any projects of wind turbine farms on their commune.
Epargnes is a small village with lots of hamlets, which is  situated on farming land and vineyards.The village lives peacefully at the pace of seasons,encouraging green tourism, social life and moral values which , I think are the first qualities of the people living in the village. Epargnes is 6 kilometres from the Gironde estuary and 20 kilometres from the seaside resorts like Royan.
Some local people don't have the internet( including our Mayor and one of her representative  doesn't even have a TV set) because they think there are more inaccurate information than proven and precise information .
However, the Mayor and her team are concerned about the news, environment and recycling especially nuclear waste, and like anyone, are worried about the future of the country for our children and grand children.
Therefore, this favourable context allowed two promoters to start a feasibility study in the forest of Epargnes.The municipal council uninamously authorized the two companies to study the wind potential and eventually permitted WKN to carry on further studies.
The wind turbine industry is all powerful and very persuasive in France because France has to catch up with its German neighbours that is why the promoters had no difficulty in convincing the enthousiastic municipal team. The wind turbines might be installed in the forest not far from the centre of the village.
The people of the village were however, kept away from their decision because the number of opponents of wind energy has been increasing and the anti wind turbine associations usually use all the legal weapons at their disposal.
The wind turbines companies recommended the Mayor and her team to keep quiet.... and the company has to invest a lot of money for studying the wind potential.
Moreover, Epargnes is not on the list of the most beautiful villages in France and is not protected by the littoral act, the church is not listed so the promoters will have no difficulties in getting building permission .
WKN is a French-German company based in Nantes working in partnership with the British group : John Laing Group who has already financed some wind turbine projects in France (especially in Picardie).
In France, a municipal council  is an elected body of the commune responsible for "executing, in its deliberations, the business of the town.
The council must meet at least once a quarter or at a request from at least one third of its members, but usually meets once a month.
In Epargnes , the municipal council is composed of 13 representatives.The Mayor (a farmer), the first elected representative (a gendarme who is retired) who voted "for" but later admitted he was against the project).
The second elected representative in charge of urban affairs (primary school teacher) with political ambitions  is eager to complete the project. Small villages are easy prey for wind turbines companies which take advantages of gullible people and money greedy farmers. And it appears that a lot of mayors and municipal representatives have been charged with illegal taking of interest. In our village, honesty and moral values are the major qualities...
Epargnes which has been up to now "spared" from wind turbines (although the same company tried at least once, in 1999 to install them) will welcome a wind turbine farm in a near future.
After meeting the Mayor to explain our surprise of being kept away from the project and after informing her about all the problems linked to low frequency sounds. ( in fact she confessed she did not have a clue of what a low frequency sound was and, that they were harmful to people), as well as the low electricity productivity, she concluded that she was not convinced with our argumentation and said that the project would be completed anyway.
She informed the people in the meeting that she was the owner of a forest plot and intended to sell it to the commune in order to install the first wind turbine.....

In conclusion, I would say that I am not a supporter of nuclear power or any types of energy in particular, I  invite you to read an article written by Jacques Attali (French economic and social theorist writer, political advisor who also served as counselor to President Mitterrant 1981-1991).
Jacques Attali thinks that a clever consultation is necessary before making a hasty decision.
As far as I am concerned I think that there are more appropriate locations. Let's protect our forests and leave them as they look today. Keep these tall posts away from our houses. It is sad that the municipal team did not take into account the effects of "infra-sounds" on humans before making such a crucial decision. It will not be reversible for at least 20 years. It is also sad that the recommendation of the medical academies did not raise awareness among the municipal representatives.
Let's hope that the symptoms described by the people living near wind turbines are chimeric!
However I can't help thinking about the asbestos scandal. Let's hope the wind turbines will not be the future health scandal in France!

The only positive aspect is for local youngsters who cannot afford to buy a house. The depreciation of houses near wind turbine farms will probably allow them to buy their house at a cheaper price.