Issue 26 Autumn 2014
Wave photo is courtesy of Ingram
Energy transformation
Energy democracy
7 Donegall Street Place
Belfast BT1 2FN
Tel: 028 9023 3488
Fax: 028 9024 7556
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.foe.co.uk/ni
James Orr
Director
Tel: 028 9023 3636
Email: [email protected]
Declan Allison
Campaigner
Tel: 028 9089 7591
Email: [email protected]
Niall Bakewell
Activism Co-ordinator
Tel: 028 9089 7592
Email: [email protected]
Colette Stewart
Office Manager
Tel: 028 9023 3488
Email: [email protected]
Local Groups
Banbridge and Mourne
Friends of the Earth
Bonnie Horsman
Tel: 077 3040 1331
Email:
[email protected]
Belfast Friends of the Earth
Jaimie McFarland
Email:
[email protected]
Bannside Friends of the Earth
Niall Bakewell
Tel: 028 9089 7592
Email: [email protected]
Craigavon Friends of the Earth
Maggie McDonald
Email: [email protected]
Queen’s University, Belfast
Friends of the Earth
Niall Bakewell
Tel: 028 9089 7592
Email: [email protected]
Downpatrick Friends of the Earth
Imelda Hynds
Tel: 028 4461 2260
Email: [email protected]
East Antrim Friends of the Earth
Brian Luney
Tel: 028 9336 6008
Email: [email protected]
North Down and Ards
Friends of the Earth
Andrew Muir
Tel: 078 1394 5411
Email: [email protected]
Friends of the Earth’s Colette Stewart discusses the
Energy Democracy movement.
Rip it up and start again – is this
what we have to do for a safe,
sustainable, healthier Northern
Ireland? A positive society, happier
communities, energy security, a
sustained and healthy economy
with a protected environmental
legacy for our children - all this
and more is required to make the
transformational change needed
in Northern Ireland, and as long as
it is sustainable, the change will be
long lasting with social benefits at
all levels encompassing our intrinsic
values. Well, that’s the vision, but we
need to make it into reality.
As a team we went on a selfdiscovery journey that stripped back
layers upon layers of assumptions
about traditional campaigning and
communications. We questioned
who we are, what we do, and how
we do it, with lots of storytelling and
even more listening.
We needed to be open, transparent,
and we knew we wanted to
communicate with different
communities across Northern
Ireland. We can’t do this alone, so
we’ve changed the way we work,
the way we engage with our grass
roots and activists, and opened out
Friends of the Earth
Friends of
the Earth
Energy Democracy for
Northern Ireland
to new people. To make this vision a
reality we need to build a movement.
A movement for what? We were
blinded by the big picture, so we
knew we had to focus on a common
theme which affects everyone – our
conclusion was energy.
By the very nature of this, we knew
we would be listening to communities
and individuals all over Northern
Ireland, who are currently fighting
site battles against shale gas, waste
combustion, and other energy
developments that will have limited
social benefits and damage our
environment. The battles about
energy won’t stop until there is
complete social change and our
energy sourcing has become local
and democratic, so it’s imperative to
keep the pressure on.
The collective wisdom of those who
want a secure, sustainable and safe
future for our energy supply has
started to come together, to work
out the ideal regulatory framework
that is needed for this to become a
reality, and to discuss the threat of
extreme energy production such as
fracking. The foundation of energy
democracy for Northern Ireland is
already happening with individual
initiatives and cooperatives on
the island developing zero-carbon,
democratically owned and controlled
energy production.
We have changed the way we
communicate with communities and
individuals, we have started a journey
with many new people working with
us, new relationships have been
formed and solidarity is the strength
which will keep many of these groups
going. Together we will build on a
grand vision for a dispersed, low
carbon energy network, one that
integrates with the rest of these
Islands.
Grassroots has often been the
foundation of Friends of the Earth’s
achievements over the years and
together with them and all our newly
found relationships we will develop
a movement to shape policy that we
hope will protect all our futures.
Success is not about owning this
movement, but being part of it.
Keith Bradford –
A true friend of the Earth
Courtesy of Downpatrick Friends of the Earth
CONTACTS
Imelda Hynds of Downpatrick Friends of the Earth writes about the life and works of Keith Bradford.
Thirty years ago, south Down was
a great place for wildlife. It wasn’t
going to last. Changing farming
methods and urban development
were putting increasing pressures
on the countryside. The local council
seemed very reluctant to recognise
these changes. The environment was
very low on their list of priorities.
One man, who was aware of those
pressures, was Keith Bradfordwho sadly passed away on the
2nd of April this year. Originally
from Nottingham, Keith came to
Downpatrick in 1975 and quickly
made it his home. With a group of
friends and the help of Claire and
Sylvia from Ards, he formed FOE
Downpatrick and from then, right up
to his death, spent most of his energy
and a considerable amount of his
money, campaigning to protect the
environment.
Keith was driven by his passion for
the environment. A visionary, he was
also a man who wasn’t afraid to get
his hands dirty. Long before recycling
banks and amenity sites were the
norm, Keith was lobbying fellow pub
owners to recycle their glass and
cans and had set up a network of 30
bottle banks in local pubs and clubs
in Down District. He collected tonnes
of paper at the barn at his house in
Downpatrick for recycling, involving
not just local Friends of the Earth
activists, but groups as diverse as
the Lions Club, a local garage who
provided a collection point and a
local milkman who collected waste
paper from customers on his rural
run!
Not every campaign was a success
however. Keith spearheaded the
group’s campaign against the
opening of a new dump at Inch and
took the Council to the brink of a
judicial review. However prohibitive
costs and sadly a lack of support
from FOE nationally, demanded we
withdraw the case and the dump
went ahead.
Devastating though that decision
was, Keith picked himself up and
kept on fighting for the environment.
As co-ordinator, Keith led the
Downpatrick group in campaigns
around organic farming, sustainable
transport systems in Downpatrick
and fought against pollution of the
Quoile and the felling of trees at
Holymount and at Finnebrogue.
But Keith was more than a list of
environmental campaigns. He was
a very complex man who loved his
cricket, his rugby, and his football.
His dogs were finely attuned to his
every mood and he knew the name
of every wildflower in his walled
garden. He was inordinately proud to
discover that the runners up, in the
biodiversity award that he won for his
garden, were primary school pupils
who were extremely knowledgeable
about the plants they had grown and
nurtured.
Although he was argumentative,
outspoken, and certainly didn’t suffer
fools gladly, he was also incredibly
loyal, genuine, decent, funny, and
great company. He came here a
stranger and gathered round him a
huge group of friends who treasured
their time with him and will sorely
miss him. As Downpatrick FOE,
we created a momentum within
the Council that finally saw them
grasp the nettle of environmental
protection and whilst there is always
more to be done, we protected his
beloved Quoile from various threats.
Editor: Declan Allison Contributors: Colette Stewart, Imelda Hynds, Judi Logue, Brian Luney, Mariann Lloyd Smith, Dawn Patterson, and Tiziana O’Hara.
The views expressed are not necessarily those of Friends of the Earth. Designed by: LSD Limited. Printed on: Paper made from 100% post-consumer waste.
For more than 40 years we’ve seen that the wellbeing of people and planet go hand in hand – and it’s been the inspiration for our campaigns. Together with thousands of people like you we’ve
secured safer food and water, defended wildlife and natural habitats, championed the move to clean energy and acted to keep our climate stable. Be a Friend of the Earth – see things differently.
Friends of the Earth is a collective name for Friends of the Earth Trust, registered charity 281681, company number 1533942, and Friends of the Earth Limited, company number 1012357, both of which may use the above information. In both cases the registered office
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NO to Gasification - YES to Zero Waste
Judi Logue of Zero Waste North West explains why incineration is not a sustainable option.
ZWNW opposed this proposal on the grounds of
the harm gasification poses to human health and
the environment through exposure to harmful
toxins, the most harmful being dioxins which are
persistent and bio-accumulative.
Also incinerators produce more greenhouse gases
adding to climate change and we have found
that the materials that provide the best fuel for
gasifying-incinerators are resources that can be
easily reused, recycled, and composted.
This technology is pushed by lobbyists from the
incineration industry as ‘zero waste to landfill’
which is far from the truth with a significant
amount of toxic ash produced in the process
needing specialist land-filling.
Research has shown us that the Derry City
Council area has the worst recycling rates in
In March this year the North West Regional
Waste Management Group made a massive
U-turn in recommending that the gasification
plans be scrapped. ZWNW saw this as an exciting
opportunity for the North West to go in a new
direction towards a Zero Waste Strategy.
Through our year of campaigning against
gasification we were well aware that we all had
to deal with a waste generation crisis and had
been researching working Zero Waste Strategies
such as in San Francisco, Nova Scotia, and in
Capannori in Italy.
A ZW strategy involves each and every one
of us changing our behaviours and attitudes
towards waste. Instead we need to think about
‘Resources’. ZW involves designing waste out of
the production process.
Implementing ZW will eliminate all discharges to
land, water and air that are a threat to planetary,
human, animal, and plant health.
Energy Storage:
Prospects and Problems
East Antrim Friends of the Earth Co-ordinator, Brian Luney, examines the role of
energy storage in meeting our renewable energy target.
Northern Ireland has set a goal of 40% of
electricity to come from renewables by 2020, in
line with most other countries plans to reduce
the use of fossil fuels in response to global
warming. With the increasing use of renewables
comes the problem of producing power at the
right time and not just when conditions are
favourable: So the need for energy storage has
become a top priority.
AES announced in April of this year the
installation of a 100MW battery storage array
at Kilroot to come online in early 2015. The
battery storage facility, it was stated, would
allow the storage of wind generated electricity
when it is in surplus. Friends of the Earth
broadly welcomed the scheme as it assists the
expansion of renewables, is on an existing site
with all connections, and is emissions free.
Various methods of energy storage for electricity
generation are currently in operation; such
as, pumped and other forms of hydropower,
compressed air, and battery storage.
The storage of natural gas is another option.
There are several methods of gas storage: put
into depleted oil and gas fields; stored above
ground in liquefied form in LNG tanks; or in
underground salt caverns. Islandmagee Storage
Ltd, (IMSL) is proposing to create salt caverns
under Larne Lough for gas storage. East Antrim
FOE is opposed to the scheme on the same
grounds as the Gaelectric proposal.
Pumped hydropower entails pumping water to
a higher level reservoir during off-peak periods
then discharging it through a hydroelectric
power plant when demand is high. Hydro
storage can also be created by diverting water
from waterfalls to storage reservoirs. Also huge
volumes of water can be held in large lakes in
upland areas for seasonal or long-term storage.
Compressed Air Energy Storage involves
pumping compressed air into underground
caverns when electricity supply is in surplus
and then generating electricity when demand
requires. Gaelectric Energy Storage is planning
to create storage caverns in salt deposits and
build a power plant. East Antrim Friends of the
Earth opposes the scheme: pumping of billions
of litres of brine into the sea off Islandmagee
will produce a ‘kill zone’ adjacent to protected
areas; and it’s really another fossil fuel burning
power plant, albeit a more efficient one. If the
new high voltage North – South Interconnector
was in place it would make the project
redundant.
Since the IMSL project was proposed in
2011 two more gas pipelines have become
operational between Scotland and Ireland and
there are to be major extensions to the onshore
gas pipeline grid. Gas can be compressed in
pipelines using compressor stations. In effect
the pipeline itself becomes a large storage
facility. This would make the IMSL project
unnecessary.
The island of Ireland now has electricity and
gas grids in a single market linked to the UK and
European grids. Energy storage will become an
important part of this complex web. It is up to
us to make sure that the most equitable and
environmentally sound solutions are applied.
Courtesy of Getty
Gasification is a form of incineration in which
waste is heated in a sealed chamber denying it
sufficient oxygen to fully burn. This produces gas
which is then burned to generate electricity.
Northern Ireland and we were aware that if this
monster were to be built we would be tied into a
25 year contract with it that would obliterate any
incentive to maximise the four Rs, Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle, Redesign, and composting.
ZWNW is now working with The Minister of the
Environment, the DOE, and political parties to
move our region towards Zero Waste. We are the
proof that groups of concerned citizens can make
a difference in shaping the environment they
live in. With another two incineration proposals
looming over Northern Ireland there is no time
to be complacent. We all need to work together
to oppose this dangerous approach to ‘Waste’
management and in doing so offer hope about
the future to our children.
Run on Sun
Run on Sun
is Friends of the
Earth’s campaign
to make it easy for
schools to run on
solar power and
save money to
spend on pupils.
It’s about time we made
the most of clean energy.
The public sector can
play a significant role in
stimulating the market for
renewables. So where better to start than with
big school roofs, especially as solar technology
is becoming more affordable? The panels pay
for themselves in around 8 years – making
schools thousands of pounds thereafter.
Our research shows that running on sun could
make cash-strapped schools up to £8,000 a
year in electricity savings and payments for
generating clean energy. That’s more money
to spend on other things like computers, text
books, educational trips, and sports equipment.
But if it’s so good, why don’t schools already
do it?
Too often, schools:
• don’t know solar can save them money;
• aren’t sure how to get solar panels;
• can’t afford the high upfront costs.
Which is why we’ve launched Run on Sun.- to
help them help themselves. School Principals
shouldn’t have to rely on Education Boards
or the Minister to begin the process of
decarbonising. They should be able to use
their own initiative. Run on sun aims to make
getting solar panels as easy as ordering text
books.
Courtesy of Dreamstime
Zero Waste North West (ZWNW) formed in March
2013 to campaign against a proposal for a £500
million gasification plant to be based at Campsie,
just outside Derry City.
There are some serious administrative
obstacles we need to overcome though. For
example, schools can’t borrow cash for solar
panels – even though they can borrow money
for insulation. This is a bizarre anomaly in
school financial rules.
Not being able to afford the setup costs of
solar power means they’re missing out on
the savings they can make. They’re also
losing a great opportunity to bring to life
sustainability, climate change, citizenship,
practical applications of physics, and other
lessons.
In other words, schools are missing out
a valuable teaching resource because of
seemingly arbitrary rules that prevent them
from borrowing money for solar panels.
Through Run on sun we plan to remove this
borrowing barrier and convince principals
to cover their roofs in solar panels. That’s
just the first step though. There’s no reason
why the whole public sector can’t follow suit.
Hospitals, libraries, and council offices could
be running on sun. Homes, businesses, and
factories could also all use solar power.
For now we’ll focus on schools. Let’s help get
solar power for every school that wants it.
Issue 26 Autumn 2014
Declan Allison/Friends of the Earth
Lock the Gate
Mariann Lloyd Smith explains why Australians are locking their gates to unconventional gas.
Along the eastern seaboard the rush
has reached a frenzy with three major
export terminals about to come on
tap to supply a massive export market
for LNG converted from coal seam gas
(CSG).
Landholders have few rights
in Australia when it comes to
challenging mining interests and
some have been intimidated into
allowing the gas companies onto their
land fearing legal action if they refuse.
But other farmers have been locking
their gates and their peaceful
resistance has been successful in
keeping gas companies at bay.
Despite the threats of legal action
the locked gates have not been
challenged in court.
There is growing awareness about
the impacts on water quality from
the toxic chemicals used by gas
companies, and the adverse effects
on health. The grassroots Lock the
Gate movement brought together
disparate groups in an unprecedented
alliance of farmers, environmental
campaigners, Indigenous Traditional
Owners, and residents to challenge
the gas invasion.
In May, New South Wales was forced
to pull the approval for drilling at
Frack free
Dawn Patterson, shale gas campaigner, celebrates some
successes for the anti-fracking movement in Northern Ireland.
This was a great summer for the
anti-fracking movement. Fermanagh
was given a temporary reprieve from
the exploratory drilling planned by
Tamboran in Belcoo. Minister Durkan
cited the need for an Environmental
Impact Assessment and stated full
planning permission was required.
Following this, Tamboran’s licence
expired and Minister Foster decided
not to extend it further
Providence have withdrawn from
Rathlin Island License 3; ChX was
refused License 5 by DETI; and the
Planning Department has ruled that
an Environmental Impact Statement
is required by Rathlin Energy, giving
more time to campaign in License
area 4 with the Ballinlea Residents
Group and Protect the North Coast
Network.
Achieving these successes has
been a huge task, which is why it
is so important that the overall
aim of this campaign is a ban
on all unconventional oil and
gas extraction. We believe we
are simply too small to sustain a
healthy environment, along with our
excellent agriculture and tourism, if
this industry is allowed to proceed.
Fracking is not a bridge fuel to
renewable energy, it’s a massive
investment in the wrong direction.
At the time of publication this is the
situation:
1. Tamboran is seeking a Judicial
Review of the decisions by
Ministers Durkan and Foster. The
Review hearing hasn’t taken place
yet.
2. We are very concerned about
InfraStrata’s plans. They
have been given permitted
development rights 400m from
the Woodburn reservoirs which
supply water to Carrickfergus,
Greenisland, Islandmagee,
and parts of Belfast and
Newtownabbey. InfraStrata says
it is only seeking conventional
oil however the location within a
drinking water catchment area
is concerning along with the fact
that it will be looking at the shale
layer.
3. On the North coast Fracking
with Nitrogen is one of the
processes proposed by Rathlin
Energy Ltd in its operations
summary for a new exploratory
well at Ballinlea. Following
pressure from the community
this well now requires an EIA and
consultation is ongoing for that.
However there are fears that once
that is completed Rathlin Energy
Ltd may be allowed to drill.
The anti-fracking movement is
extremely diverse with many people
involved who have never before
opposed development.
Unconventional oil and gas
extraction seems to have crossed a
line in the consciousness of people.
It is no longer socially unacceptable
to allow this level of destruction
to produce dirty energy when
alternatives are available.
Bentley in the state’s northern rivers
region after a mass protest from
2000 local people. The protestors
represented all walks of life including
the famous Knitting Nanas and the
local Church of England Minister.
In other areas, including the Pilliga
state forest in NSW, peaceful
community resistance has successfully
held up CSG drilling. The campaign
is being led by local farmers, most
of whom have never before been
involved in any form of protest or
community action.
Santos, the company mining in the
Pilliga was recently found to have
polluted a local groundwater aquifer
with a range of toxins including
uranium at levels 20 times that
considered safe for drinking, as a
result of leaking wastewater storage.
The uranium contamination was
only made public after community
members pushed for access to secret
documents about leaking mine waste
ponds.
The company was given a $1500
slap on the wrist. By comparison,
community members who have
been arrested engaging in peaceful
civil disobedience, including several
grandmothers, have received fines of
up to $3,300 for holding up work for a
few hours.
The Australian people are engaged
in a peaceful and creative resistance
against a multi-billion dollar industry
that has the support of government
ministers from both major political
parties, and donates handsomely to
their election campaigns. However, the movement to Lock the
Gate and peacefully resist the gas
invasion is growing. Communities
across the nation have been working
to declare themselves Gas Field Free in
a unique democratic process that has
spread like wildfire. The declarations
have enjoyed mass support wherever
they have been made and so far
cover well over 3 million hectares of
agricultural land.
Co-operatives
powering communities
Co-operatives expert Tiziana O’Hara explores the
potential for developing energy co-operatives in
Northern Ireland.
According to the International
Co-operative Alliance,
“A co-operative is an autonomous
association of persons united
voluntarily to meet their common
economic, social, and cultural needs
and aspirations through a jointlyowned and democratically-controlled
enterprise.”
A co-operative can take many
forms but crucial attention must be
given to its membership. Practically,
co-operatives are enterprises to
benefit likeminded members and
communities, producing and/or
offering a service that satisfies a local
need.
With around 300,000 households
in Northern Ireland living in fuel
poverty, that need could be energy.
There are now more than 5,000
community energy projects active
in the UK, the majority of which are
involved in renewable electricity
generation with around 60MW
in operation. They range from
co-operatively owned wind farms
and solar installations, collective
purchasing schemes to a community
trial of smart meters to reduce use.
Baywind Energy Co-operative, Bath
West Community Energy, Brighton
Community Energy, Torrs Hydro, and
the local Drumlin Wind
Energy Co-operative, are
all interesting examples
of co-operatives recently
established. Energy
co-operatives choose to
generate energy from
renewable sources and
all contribute to the
renewable energy and
climate change debate.
What does this growing
sector need to succeed?
In a report published
by Co-operatives UK,
Rebecca Willis described
the common factors: the
founder members are
often highly motivated
by the possible environmental
and community gains and not by
profit; the co-operatives are often
supported by existing networks; and
the members have access to relevant
skills or they know where to get them.
In GB they have also benefitted in
the early stage of development by
some initial institutional support,
usually in the form of grants.
To conclude, I have compiled my
shopping list of critical factors to
enable more community energy
projects to develop in Northern
Ireland. To the statutory powers, I
would ask: a clear commitment to
Courtesy of Drumlin Wind Energy Co-operative
Across Australia the unconventional
gas industry is moving into residential
areas, farms, and natural areas at
a pace not previously seen in the
country’s mining history. Fossil fuel
leases cover more than 54% of
Australia and existing industries have
been side-lined in the march to exploit
gas.
community energy projects; some
credible investments in co-operative
development; some seed funds
to allow innovation to flourish
and capacity to be built; some
updates to local legislation starting
with the implementation of the
proposed changes to the Industrial
and Provident Act (NI) 1969. To
the community and voluntary
activists, I would also suggest: to
consider co-operatives for their
energy enterprises; to embrace local
generation of energy to contribute to
the fight against fuel poverty; and a
deeper and visionary aspiration for
renewable energy.