The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Scottish Government defends power line
Claim Beauly to Denny line was not required
The decision by the UK Government to end windfarm subsidies has come too late to have much bearing on the Beauly to Denny power line, it was claimed yesterday.
Despite some opponents claiming this move casts doubts on whether the 137-mile line was actually needed and that it will not operate at full capacity, the Scottish Government said it remains its “ambition” to see the equivalent of 100% of demand for electricity in Scotland supplied through renewables by 2020.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said the Beauly to Denny upgrade is “central to this challenge”.
The power line will consist of 600 pylons and will carry electricity from the Highlands to the Central Belt.
Fergus Ewing MSP, minister for energy, has ruled out taking legal action over the subsidy scenario, but it’s understood large-scale windfarm projects will still have time to receive funding.
The spokeswoman said the Beauly to Denny upgrade continues to be “essential” for improved energy security and to facilitate the flow of renewable power from north to south.
“We are profoundly disappointed at the UK Government’s recent announcement to close the renewable obligation early, but there remains a pipeline of renewable generation projects throughout Scotland,” she said.
“We will maintain pressure on the UK Government to ensure there is adequate support for onshore wind in the future.
“It remains the Scottish Government’s ambition to see the equivalent of 100% of demand for electricity in Scotland supplied through renewables by 2020.
“The Beauly to Denny upgrade is central to this challenge.”
Mike Boxer, secretary of Braco and Greenloaning Community Council, who has been a fierce critic of the scheme, said: “The Beauly to Denny line should be completed soon down to Denny but the power should be reversible.
“If there is a surplus down at the south end of it, the electricity should be put through to the north, and likewise from north to south.”
He continued: “Once the decision to proceed became a fait-accompli, there was little one could say or do.”
Councillor Tom Gray, one of the representatives for the Strathallan ward, said: “There are a number of windfarms who are not up to capacity and are waiting on this power line being completed.
“I have been kept up to speed with information on the power line and it will soon be connected up.”
However, Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland, questioned whether the line was ever required.
He said: “At the time of the plan, there were warnings the massive line might not be needed — these warnings now seem to be proven correct.”