Shutdown imposed on French windfarm thought to be responsible for deaths of rare Lesser Kestrels

 

Male Lesser Kestrel - many are feared to have perished after colliding with rotating turbine blades 

A TEMPORARY shutdown has been imposed on a windfarm in France after its turbines were blamed for killing rare raptors.

Evidence indicates that the 31turbines at  the Aumelas wind farm near Montpelier.have been responsible  over the past decade for the deaths of  up to 150 highly-protected Lesser Kestrels, many of  whose corpses have been found under the blades.

Following a case brought by conservationists, a court  has imposed a four-month shutdown on operations, reminding the operator, EDF, and its subsidiaries that  the destruction of a single individual of a protected species by a wind turbine is prohibited by law.

The court also imposed fines on the companies involved and a six-month suspended prison sentence, plus  100,000-Euro fine, on the former boss  of EDF Renouvelables, Bruno Bensasson.

EDF says it will lodge an appeal. If it is unsuccessful, it may have to dismantle the windfarm and relocate the turbines to a less environmentally sensitive site.

It is thought this judicial ruling decision could set a precedent for environmental accountability among wind energy operators not just in France but also beyond.

In the UK, birds are also killed in collisions with turbines, whether the blades are rotating or still.

However, under British law, it is only an offence if birds are killed "intentionally" - with certain exceptions, alas, for species such as  partridges, grouse and feral pigeons.

* Photo: Sumeet Moghe via Wikimedia Commons