Stop Hinkley campaigners have welcomed early plans for a wind-farm next to the Hinkley Point nuclear site. A company called ‘Your Energy’ has earmarked land to the west of Hinkley Point to build twelve wind-turbines which could produce enough electricity for 20,000 homes, all of West Somerset’s domestic requirement by the year 2005.

Jim Duffy, spokesman for Stop Hinkley said: "We’ve been pressing a long time for exactly this kind of clean development, free from pollution or long-term waste and with no prospect of a serious accident. No terrorist would have reason to target a wind-turbine."

"Importantly ‘Your Energy’ seem to be conscientious in approaching every organisation that might have an interest in the project, from the local council to the Farmers’ Union, the MoD, RSPB and the Quantock Hills Advisory Committee. They have a wealth of experience in building wind-farms and are keen to ensure the backing of local communities. People should give their support to this project to help combat the urgent problem of global warming."

"The location is ideal as this corner of Somerset will have the large Hinkley buildings for many, many years. The turbine towers at 70 metres high, excluding the thin blades, will be the average height of the reactors and 17 metres short of the originally proposed Hinkley ‘C’ dome. They can be carefully arranged to give the most pleasing effect and will be built away from the shoreline to rule out disruption to wading and sea birds. Local wind-speeds at 7 metres per second on average are ideal for new, more efficient turbines."

"Concerning the community, an input of £3 to £4 million is expected to swell the local economy during the construction period and ‘Your Energy’ is committed to recruiting local labour. They also plan to provide energy education to local schools and support energy audits in local parishes, enhancing their green credentials with a push for energy conservation."

"The company was formed by a group of friends who originally worked for major utility companies but who wanted to engage more with local communities which wasn’t possible in the big corporations."

" I hope local people will give them an active welcome and reap all the benefits of a cleaner environment."