Love them or loathe them, wind turbines are impressive structures. Something very big is needed if Malta is to fall in line with European targets for renewable energy.
It has not gone unnoticed that the national target for renewable energy sources has dipped lower than agreed when Malta joined Europe.
This country is one of seven back-sliding member states where electricity generated from renewable energy sources has stagnated or shrunk since accession. Government acknowledged this in a communication to the European Commission while reassuring Brussels that efforts have been made to reverse the trend since 2006.
Since a new directive came into force last May, member states are now obliged to introduce measures to ensure that the share of energy from renewable sources equals or exceeds targets. If such measures are not in place and they fall short of the targets, they can be sued by the Commission.
Malta's immediate target is for five per cent of electricity consumption to be supplied by renewable sources of energy. While the original deep-water wind farm proposal has receded, the pressures to do something have multiplied, says physicist and environmental pioneer Edward Mallia.
The Malta Resources Authority expressed reservations over deep offshore technology, which was not commercially proven. It took the government over a year to reverse the ill-advised snap decision to pursue wind generation in deep offshore waters.
An alternative had to be found, and quickly. Dr Mallia notes that the time between taking a decision to generation of power could be shorter for onshore than for offshore sites.
The advantage of wind turbines at sea is that they have less aesthetic constraints on their size. Larger wind turbines generate more energy with less impact as they rotate more quietly and at lower speeds. Yet, offshore wind farms are more costly to install and maintain.
The price of electricity generated by conventional power stations does not reflect the full environmental and social costs. If tariffs are not adjusted to take these costs into account, the success of alternative sources of energy would require a huge amount of public support.
According to government's draft energy policy, even if there are "significant adverse environmental effects", tapping energy from wind and sun would help reduce the effects of climate change.
Released by the Resources Ministry last April, the policy regards large onshore wind farms on the Maltese islands as the most cost-effective and feasible technology for generating electricity. However, the same report raises concerns over wind not blowing hard enough, or for long enough, to make these projects worthwhile.
On the other hand, fears still abound on the experimental nature of some types of offshore technology. Dutch manufacturers of floating platforms have recently submitted an outline application for wind turbines 20 km off the Pembroke coast.
In the interim, and in view of uncertainties, the Bahrija-Wied Rini site may offer an acceptable compromise. Some logistical difficulties relating to the development of an upgraded road network to deliver wind turbines to the site are expected, although much of the site is already degraded.
Also at issue is whether government can legally secure title to the site under rules of public use. The exact location of the turbines is subject to further study and may vary from the original proposal.
A report issued recently by the European Environment Agency looks at environmental and social constraints on wind sector development. Concerns addressed include visual impact and noise.
A typical wind farm consisting of 10 wind turbines at a distance of 350 metres would likely create a noise level of up to 45 decibels (about the same as a humming refrigerator).
At a meeting on the proposed wind farm, the mayor of Rabat raised the issue of natural spring water which could be affected when trenching grid connections and bases for the turbines. A full hydrological assessment would help determine any risks.
Birdlife Malta is calling on the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to involve it in rigorous studies to ensure that an onshore wind farm would not have a negative effect on migratory birds, seabird colonies and rare nesting birds.
Any damage caused to vegetation by road access to the site, which lies within a special area of conservation, would have to be considered within an environment impact assessment. Biodiversity in healthy ecosystems is also helpful to fight climate change.
A strategy for renewable electricity, drawn up by consultants Mott MacDonald in 2005, expressed little doubt that the wind towers proposed for Wied Rini would leave their mark on the landscape.
A base of 10 square metres for each tower is on the big side. Ways of making them smaller are being explored by the developers.