Wind turbine blades to be temporarily stored at Summerland

Would be at the site until all components have been delivered to the Island

There are plans to temporarily store turbine blades at the Summerland site in Douglas if proposals for the Island's first onshore windfarm are approved.

A Freedom of Information request has revealed the site has been deemed 'suitable' for blades to be delivered there using a flatbed transporter.

The documents further shed light on plans for the proposed Cair Vie facility at Earystane and Scard, primarily via information extracted from monthly Executive Reports.

The reports form part of ongoing communications between the Manx Utilities Authority and the Department of Infrastructure.

An extract from January 2025 also reveals surveys were planned for the area of the Fairy Bridge in March this year.

It states: "Our current plan for the delivery of components, using the Port of Douglas, involves temporary storage at the Summerland site. The Swept Path Analysis (SPA) for the transportation of parts has confirmed that this site is suitable and that turbine blades can be delivered to this site using a flatbed transporter.

"A blade-lifter will still be required to deliver blades from the former Summerland site to Earystane once all components have been delivered to the Island.

"DOI have also confirmed that the trees along the route will be limbed to accommodate buses as part of routine maintenance up to a corridor of 36m2 (6m x 6m) with additional pruning beyond this to ensure tree growth appears natural.

"This removed the requitement to carry out arboricultural and ecological surveys along the transport route, with the exception of the Fairy Bridge area. Surveys in the Fairy Bridge area are expected to progress 17-21 March in tandem with a planned DOI road closure to minimise disruption to the public."