Extracts from the Sept-Oct 2002 edition of Renew
These extracts only represent about 25% of it

4. Scottish Wind Boom….but opposition mounts

More than 130 new wind farms are being planned throughout Scotland in an ‘energy revolution that will transform the country into a world leader in clean energy’, according to the Sunday Herald (7th April 2002). It claimed that ‘more than 30 of the plans are at an advanced stage which could provide up to a third of all Scotland’s electricity, far more than a large nuclear power station’.

They include major projected wind power schemes in the Highlands and Islands, the central belt, Argyll and Ayrshire. In addition ‘a hundred or more other wind farms are being discussed privately with local authorities and government agencies. If only half of them end up being built, wind will still surpass coal, gas and nuclear power as Scotland’s principal source of electricity’.

The Herald noted that ‘most environmentalists were delighted at the news, though they called on the Scottish Executive to issue urgent planning guidance on where the farms should be sited’ and it warned that some of the proposed sites are bound to provoke fierce opposition.

Country Guardian, the anti-wind-power lobby group based in England and Wales, was quick to condemn the plans. ‘It’s what the Scots deserve if they want to have their countryside wrecked’, said Sir Bernard Ingham, the group’s vice president and the former prime minister Margaret Thatcher’s press officer. ‘Any windmill will wreck the scenery’, Sir Bernard told the Herald. The government’s backing of wind farms was a ‘cynical and disgraceful ploy’ which had nothing to do with energy policy, he argued. ‘Environmentalists will sacrifice the environment on the altar of political correctness.’

There are currently 11 wind farms with a total of 219 turbines operating in Scotland, capable of generating up to 148 megawatts of electricity. The largest, 46 turbines with a capacity of 30MW, is sited at Beinne an Turc on the Mull of Kintyre. But, the Herald says, these will soon be dwarfed by the vast new farms now on the drawing-board. An investigation by the Sunday Herald has uncovered 32 new schemes all over the country for which planning applications have been submitted, are imminent or are expected. Involving more than 1200 turbines, these farms will have an installed capacity of more than 2000MW. This compares to the 1300MW capacity of the nuclear plant at Hunterston and the 6000MW needed to power the whole of Scotland. In addition, insiders told the Herald that there are ‘more than 100’ further farms being discussed behind the scenes. In the future wind farms are also expected to spread out to sea, with one offshore scheme - Robin’s Rigg in the Solway Firth - already on the cards.

‘A boom in onshore wind power is essential over the next decade if we are to make meaningful cuts in climate emissions and reap the jobs and export rewards that are there for the taking,’ Dr Richard Dixon, head of research at Friends of the Earth Scotland told the Herald. ‘Add to these new wind schemes the tremendous potential of offshore wind and wave power, as well as biomass crops and solar power on buildings, and it is clear that Scotland’s future lies in clean, green energy, with absolutely no need for new nuclear power.’

The Herald noted that some of the schemes proposed may have to be modified to protect the landscape or designated nature conservation areas. This applies to the biggest proposal, for a 250-turbine, 600-megawatt farm at Barvas Moor on Lewis.

Friends of the Earth has suggested that this could be halved in size to avoid damaging a peatland protected by European law because of its wildlife. If the peatland is threatened, influential conservationists warn that there will be a ‘huge row’.

According to the Herald, some of the other wind farms, such as those proposed near Edinbane on Skye and near Edderton on the Dornoch Firth, have also run into local opposition. ‘These are industrial machines which many people don’t like the look of,’ said John Campbell QC, an Edinburgh planning lawyer who helps anti-wind-farm groups. He added: ‘To be successful, wind farms have to be in the windiest places, and it’s very often the case that the windiest places are those with the best landscapes. Scotland has many landscape and conservation interests which would be damaged by such a large-scale expansion.’

But, the Herald noted, environmental groups pointed out that there was more than enough room for wind power to expand without harming any of the protected areas that cover 60% of the land. A study for the Scottish Executive in December 2001 showed that wind farms spread over less than 2% of Scotland could provide twice as much electricity as the country needs.

‘We need urgent action from the Scottish Executive to smooth the development of wind power,’ said Lloyd Austin, head of policy with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in Scotland. ‘There is more than ample room in Scotland to have a successful and laudable renewable energy industry, and to protect the habitats essential to the survival of our internationally important wildlife. Completely unnecessary conflict between developers and environmentalists can easily be avoided if adequate general planning guidance is given as to where wind farms are best sited.’

A similar line was taken by the government’s conservation agency, Scottish Natural Heritage. ‘It would be a cruel irony if this relatively environmentally-friendly method of power generation were to pose a threat to our most sensitive environments,’ said the agency’s George Anderson. ‘So let’s put them in the right places. And let’s not forget that in addition to switching our power generation to renewables like wind farms, we should also be looking to cut down on our use of energy.’

Angels and Devils

‘Wind turbines are angels to some and devils to others’ noted the Sunday Herald in its continuing excellent coverage of wind power developments in Scotland. It quotes nine-year-old Jessica Dalgleish who lives in Taynuilt near fourteen 600MW turbines: ‘I think they look like angels.’ So impressed was Jessica by their beauty that she asked for one to be named after her.

On the other side, they quote Peter de Savary, a 57-year-old multi-millionaire, who is alarmed that the view from Skibo Castle, where he charges guests £700 a night to stay, will be ‘ruined’ by 20 wind turbines planned on a hill 12 kilometres away across the Dornoch Firth. ‘I will do whatever I have to do to arrest the progress of it’.

However, the Herald notes, some locals are evidently sceptical of de Savary’s objections. ‘It’s wonderful that people are able to spend £700 a day to stay at Skibo,’ said one. ‘With that kind of money they could afford the high-tech binoculars they’d need to find the wind farm and spoil their day.’

We look at the wind battle in Scotland in more detail in our Groups section. Thanks to Rob Edwards for permission to recycle his material from the Heralds excellent coverage of these issues.

* Scottish Power has been given planning permission to build a 35 turbine wind farm at Cruach Mhor in western Scotland. The £20 m 29MW windfarm is expected to be operational by late 2003. Overall, ScottishPower will be investing £400m in renewable energy in the next eight years.

Scottish Renewables : 30% by 2020 ?

Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell has announced further details of the Executive’s plans for increasing the amount of electricity in Scotland generated from renewable sources of energy to 30% by 2020 - compared to the 20% by 2020 target suggested by the PIU for the UK as a whole.

Mr McConnell said: ‘I want Scotland to be a world leader in renewable energy generation and use. But I also want Scotland to become a centre for excellence in advancing the renewable energy technologies and scientific development. In Scotland we already have well-established hydro schemes meeting 10% of demand for electricity. Over the past few years we have increased this figure by supporting other renewable technologies, including wind, biomass, and wave. But we are not resting on our laurels - more needs to be done. Our immediate objective is to increase renewables’ share to 18% of electricity by 2010. To do this we have introduced a new statutory mechanism - the Renewables Obligation Scotland. I announced two months ago that we would consult on working towards a figure of 30% of our electricity coming from renewables by 2020. Already that figure looks to be achievable in long term on the basis of the very many renewable energy projects now being planned.’

Vestas Wind Systems, the leading Danish wind power company, opened its £9.5m wind turbine manufacturing plant in Machrihanish, near Campbeltown recently. The project, which is being carried out in conjunction with ScottishPower, is expected to capture 30% of world sales. Many of Vestas plant’s 81 employees have been recruited from the former Campbeltown shipyard and are being trained to adapt their existing skills in engineering, welding and metal work.