CONCERNS have been raised over possible pollution from diesel generators running ’round the clock’ to support the Valaris drilling ships docked at Hunterston. The matter was discussed at the recent Fairlie Community Council Zoom meeting as villagers voiced concerns about the presence of the massive vessels. Locals have nicknamed the ships ‘Blackpool Tower’ and ‘Eiffel Tower’ – Valaris DS4 and Ensco DS8 – with each having a drilling depth capacity of 12,000ft. Resident Jackie Pearson says that while noise has not been an issue, concerns about the duo’s power supplies are. My issue is the hypocrisy and nonsense coming from Peel Ports, who say Hunterston Parc is going to be a green energy centre “Tying up two redundant ships and lighting them up day and night for no obvious is far from environmentally friendly. They are running diesel engines constantly and if that is a green energy park then I don’t want it. “These ships should be getting their power supply from somewhere sensible.
Largs & Millport Weekly News 18th Jan 2021 read more »