26th September 2007
Concern about the impact which the proposed Beauly Denny 400kV electricity transmission line would have on the Cairngorms, inclusive of the National Park, has led the North East Mountain Trust (NEMT) to contribute a thousand pounds towards the Beauly Denny Landscape Group’s costs at the Public Local Inquiry, which has just finished taking evidence in the Newtonmore session.
NEMT Chairwoman, Jennifer Cook said, "Whilst NEMT does not have huge resources, we felt it essential to back the campaign of opposition to this transmission line. The current proposal is to have pylons, as high as the Scott Monument, striding across the countryside for over 220km. NEMT is an umbrella body representing the environmental interests of Mountaineers and Hill-walkers and we need to see a more integrated approach to the development of Scotland’s renewable energies.
It is essential that this proposal is considered alongside Scotland’s broader interests. Until now, both UK and Scottish governments have taken a piecemeal approach – looking at each energy project individually - and not considering the strategic, long-term implications for the country. We hope that the new Scottish administration will take a more supportable long-term approach to development of Scotland's alternative power generation potential, and the associated transmission.
Smaller Trusts and groups, like ourselves, cannot take a meaningful part in an Inquiry which lasts over eleven months and is held in four different locations. So we wanted to give support to the national environmental organisations which, through the coalition Beauly-Denny Landscape Group, have been making the case at the Inquiry."
Helen McDade, Convenor of the Beauly Denny Landscape Group (BDLG) and Policy Officer of the John Muir Trust, said, "The Beauly Denny Landscape Group is very grateful for the NEMT’s generous contribution. It is the support of such groups and individuals which has allowed us to present some of the key evidence at the Inquiry - championing the fantastic Highland landscape which is threatened, and bringing evidence from experts that this line is not required.
The Applicants for this line would have us believe that it is essential for renewable energy ambitions in Scotland. However, increasingly, there is recognition of the need to use technologies other than onshore wind; for example, tidal, wave, solar, biomass, and offshore wind. These will not require the same transmission grid structure so there is a danger of this line becoming a white elephant even before it is built.
Expert evidence which was, unfortunately, rejected by the Inquiry Reporters, has shown that there is no need for this line before 2020. There is little doubt that the current proposal is a very good deal for the Applicants, Scottish & Southern Energy. There is very little evidence that it is necessary, desirable or cost-effective for the electricity consumer or the Scottish population."
Ends
For further details, contact:
Jennifer Cook, Chairwoman, NEMT (01330 820914)
Helen McDade, Convenor, BDLG (1796 470080)
1) North East Mountain Trust was founded in 1980 in Aberdeen to fight in-appropriate developments in wild mountain areas plus an application for a superquarry at Longhaven seacliffs near Peterhead. Following on from the success of the latter in 1981, NEMT resisted the proposal to extend skiing into Lurcher's Gully, in an area of outstanding landscape and wildlife value in the Northern Cairngorms. In 1990 NEMT vigorously supported the Save the Cairngorms Campaign which finally helped to quash this most damaging proposal.
NEMT continues to influence planning authorities and government agencies for the benefit of our natural heritage. It helps raise awareness and knowledge of issues affecting the hills among hillwalkers, climbers and other members of the public. NEMT is a registered charity and its work is carried out entirely by dedicated volunteers and it is dependent on members' support.
2) The Beauly-Denny Landscape Group brought evidence to the Strategic Session of the Public Inquiry earlier this year to make the case for Scotland’s landscapes and against the pylons. The members of the Group are the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland, John Muir Trust, Mountaineering Council of Scotland, National Trust for Scotland, Ramblers Scotland and the Scottish Wild Land Group. The Statement of Case for the Inquiry and the precognitions of the BDLG team of expert witnesses are available at the official Inquiry website www.beaulydenny.co.uk. The Group continues to work with all parties willing to discuss the strategic needs of Scotland and the best way forward in energy transmission.
3) Evidence brought forward by Emeritus Professor Andrew Bain, economics expert, and evidence brought by Sir Donald Miller, ex – Chairman of Scottish Power, as an independent witness, shows that the Applicant’s case that the line is needed is seriously flawed. The Inquiry Reporters ruled out a considerable part of this evidence as inadmissible.
4) The Beauly Denny Public Local Inquiry investigating the Beauly to Denny
400kV Electricity Transmission Line has run from February 2007 and will continue
to December 2007 at locations from Inverness, through Newtonmore, Perth and
Stirling. This project is part of the largest industrial development of the
Highlands since the hydro-electric schemes of the mid-20th century, and 220km
of new powerline on pylons up to 65m high - nearly as tall as the Wallace Monument
in Stirling or the Scott Monument in Edinburgh - will have major implications
for the incomparable landscapes of Scotland’s mountainous spine.