§ Gregory BarkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact of the development of large scale wind farms in the North sea on(a) existing radar defence and (b) the UK's ability to co-operate with the USA in respect of the Missile Defence programme; and if he will make a statement. [70045]
§ Dr. MoonieAll wind farm proposals are examined on a case-by-case basis to establish whether they are likely to have an adverse effect on air defence radar. Rotating turbines can send false returns to radar heads and a study is currently being undertaken in conjunction with the DTI to see what measures, if any, can be taken to mitigate this.
An independent review of the United Kingdom's air defence radar was instituted following the terrorist attacks of 11 September, and this work will inform on-going work on SDR New Chapter.
No assessment has been made of the impact of wind farms on the type of radar currently used for missile early warning, or on those that might be developed for missile tracking, but there is no reason to expect wind farms to affect such radars in view of their different operating characteristics.