Call for SSE to shed light on giant energy project
COMMUNITIES have to wake up to Scottish and Southern Energy’s (SSE) gamble to turn north Argyll into a more profitable environment for wind farms.
Finlay McFee, an auditor living in Kilchrenan, told a meeting of Avich and Kilchrenan Community Council last week that his month-long dialogue with SSE had presented more questions than answers.
He said: ‘The first phase is to discover the plan because it affects everyone in Argyll.’
The energy supplier plans to construct a new north Argyll substation in ‘an area north of Inveraray and to the west of the A819 and east of Ardbrecknish, to enable renewable energy projects to connect to the electricity network’.
SSE is also proposing to upgrade its overhead line between the proposed north Argyll and existing Taynuilt substations and create a new 275kV overhead line connecting north Argyll to the existing substation in Dalmally.
But Mr McFee wants SSE to reveal its bigger picture.
He said: ‘These lines work in both directions. So far we’ve needed power in. What about the output? This is certainly a major commercial decision to create a market for wind farm generation in Argyll. This is a world first, uncharted territory for all of us – SSE included.
‘ We’re still in the consultation phase. We have a right to know what this project is about. If I understand the convention, it’s not a right to be involved in the decision-making – it’s a right to be given the facts. We want a public explanation of what they’re trying to do, what choices they made, why they’re doing things there.’
Mr McFee hoped the facts could be compiled into a report to be distributed to Argyll community councils.
‘This is a giant network,’ he said. ‘Half the community councils are affected. If we’re all kept in the dark, we end up making nimby objections and there’s a whole lot more to it than that.
‘ What they’ve done is slice it up into small, not so meaningful components. They’ve got an elephant – and they’re only showing us one leg of it. We don’t want to be stitched up. We want to see the whole truth.’
Holding up SSE’s plan, Mr McFee said: ‘The way this is pitched is ‘this is what we’ve decided, and we’re going to tell you about it.’ They’re planning to build a substation on the hill above you the size of 10 football pitches.’
The meeting gasped. ‘They’ve already decided they’re going for the big one, which entails bigger risks. The questions this opens are colossal.’
Community councillor Christine Metcalfe said many communities had yet to wake up to the project’s implications and the community council co- opted Mr McFee and gave him a mandate to continue his investigations.
SSE sought residents’ views on the substation and overhead lines at exhibitions in Inveraray, Dalmally, Taynuilt, Kilchrenan and Portsonochan in March and in a consultation in April.