D-Day Legacy Threatened By Wind Turbines Off Normandy Coast?

Is the D-Day Legacy In Peril From 75 Wind Turbines Off the Normandy Coast?

A proposed 450 MW offshore wind farm in the waters off the D-day landing beaches at Courseulles-sur-Mer off the Normandy Coast has sparked an understandably emotional response from many veterans of World War II. The debate is intensified by the fact that the 70th anniversary of the landing is next year and many veterans are now in their 90’s. The following is from Offshore wind farm off the coast of Courseulles-sur-Mer PUBLIC DEBATE NEWSLETTER N°1 [PDF]:

The Project in Figures

• The wind farm will be constructed at least 6 miles off the coast of Courseulles-sur-Mer
• Its total area will be 12 acres
• 75 wind turbines with a height of 570 feet (mast + blades), separated from each other by a distance of around 1/2 mile
• They will be connected to the national grid by under-sea and underground cables
• The total cost will be 1.8 billion Euros

Who Can Get Involved?

The public debate process is open to all and continues until 20 July, 2013. The location of the project off the D-day landing beaches fully justifies the participation of any British, Canadian and American nationals who may have concerns.

All individuals and organizations have the right to ask questions and give their opinions with equal rights to speak.

The documents produced by the SCPD and the contracting authority are available to everyone on the website www.debatpublic-eolien-en-mer-courseulles.org.

Author’s Note: The website is published in French. If your computer won’t translate it to English, I’ve included a link to the Offshore wind farm off the coast of Courseulles-sur-Mer PUBLIC DEBATE NEWSLETTER N°1 [PDF] that is written in English.

The wind project’s planned footprint has already been reduced by 35% to lower the visual impact from the historic landing beaches. Developer Eolien Maritime France says it is “willing to respect the D-day memorial sites and wants to be involved with local initiatives to continue to keep the memory of the D-day landings alive”.

Author’s Closing Note: The offshore wind farm is projected to have a generating capacity of 450 MW when fully operational. It will include 75 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 6 MW. These tall sentinels will be visible from the shoreline even though they are between 6 and 10 miles from the Calvados coast, near Courseulles-sur-Mer.