Experimental wind mast approved for Mellieħa

An 80-metre mast will soon be set up at L-Aħrax in Mellieħa for two years to measure wind strength and see if the nearby Sikka l-Bajda area is suitable for a wind farm.

The planning authority yesterday approved the application for the temporary structure but ensured that several mitigation measures be taken to protect birds that may collide with the structure or its fence.

The mast will be supported by guy wires anchored at 25- and 50-metre radius intervals. It will be built on a patch of garigue near the tip of the peninsula.

Roundel bird diverters will be installed to reduce the risk of bird collisions with the mast and the wires because the site is close to an area populated by Shearwaters.

The place will also have to be restored to its pristine state after the two years.

The wind data collected will be used to help the government in its quest to explore cleaner and renewable sources of energy.

Meanwhile, BirdLife, which had highlighted the importance of mitigation measures to protect the birds, yesterday called for a monitoring scheme to assess the impact of the mast on the Shearwater colonies at the Natura 2000 site. “Should the impact be above the threshold set by the appropriate assessment, the wind mast will have to be relocated a few hundred metres away,” BirdLife said.