Rennie: Crofting left in state of unending uncertainty
Crofters have launched an audacious bid to acquire 21 wind turbines from EDF and sell power to the Grid that could land them £5million a year. ALAN SIMPSON reports
CROFTING communities have been left in a state of “unending uncertainty” by the Scottish and UK governments, the Scottish Liberal Democrats have said.
Leader Willie Rennie said crofters were being doubly squeezed by the consequences of Brexit as well as “dithering and delay” by Scottish ministers over the future shape of farm subsidies after leaving the EU.
All this, he said, while the impact of delays to common agricultural policy (CAP) payments continue to be felt in the rural economy. Speaking in advance of a two-day visit to the Highlands, Mr Rennie said crofters had got a “rough deal” and renewed calls for a second referendum on the final Brexit deal.
He said: “The farm payments saga isn’t yet sorted and Brexit casts a dark cloud over the future of their enterprises. The Scottish Government has buried its head in the sand and expertly avoided preparing for the lasting consequences Brexit will have on the agricultural sector. Crofters say its consultation skirts round the pressing issues.”
A Government spokesman said: “As we leave the EU our priority remains providing rural businesses such as crofting with as much security as possible, which is why we published the most comprehensive farming Brexit consultation paper anywhere in the UK, last month.
“The proposals aim to provide stability, certainty and simplicity for rural businesses in the period immediately after Scotland might have to leave the EU in 2019, with the central measure being a transition period of between three and five years – as suggested by the Agricultural Champions.
“We have a track record of supporting and investing in crofting and offer a wide range of support including the Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme, Croft House Grant, and Crofting Cattle Improvement Scheme.”
A UK Government spokeswoman said: “Leaving the EU gives us a historic opportunity to shape the future of our farming landscape and improve the support we provide farmers. As we have made clear, this will mean more freedom for the devolved administrations to support their farmers.”
THEY are four remote streets with a handful of houses among them standing amid the harsh windswept environment of the islands.
But the crofting communities on Lewis are poised for a share of a multi-million pound windfall as they bid for Government contracts to supply the National Grid from their own wind turbines.
The communities in Sandwick with Aignish and Melbost plan to take control of 21 turbines from EDF and provide annual income 100 times more than what the energy giant proposes.
It comes as Scotland is set for a lucrative renewable energy boom that experts say will transform local communities.
UK ministers have announced that wind power projects on islands will now be able to apply for subsidies which would remove the element of financial risk that comes with building away from the mainland.
Island schemes will become eligible for a “Contract for Difference” (CFD) with the UK Government, which covers the shortfall between the cost of investing in infrastructure in remote locations and the average market price for electricity in the UK market.
This ensures electricity generators have stable revenues while customers are insulated against rising bills.
This has opened the door for communities across the islands to plan their own wind farms to raise muchneeded funds for local infrastructure.
Wind is increasingly seen as a key natural resource in the Western Isles, with the potential to boost the economic future of the islands.
Now the four crofting townships on Lewis have become the first to bid in the Contract for Differences auction in May.
The four townships which will be bidding are Sandwick North Street, Sandwick East Street, Melbost & Branahuie and Aignish.
Altogether, they hope to develop 21 turbines, with a total output of 105MW. Although that comprises four different schemes, they all meet or exceed the 5MW threshold for eligibility into the scheme.
North Street is planning one turbine of 5MW, while Aignish is planning two (10MW total), Melbost eight (40MW) and East Street 10 (50MW).
It is also the latest twist to a saga that has seen the townships locked in a legal battle with EDF and its partner Wood Group in an audacious bid to build their own smaller project.
The townships have applied to the Crofting Commission for an area big enough for 21 turbines to be effectively removed from EDF’S control and given to them.
But the multinational’s operating arm, Lewis Wind Power, has filed a petition at the Scottish Land Court, asking it to throw out the crofters’ objections and approve its lease.
Both sides in this David and Goliath struggle are refusing to back down and the only thing they agree on is that the outcome will have far-reaching consequences for the future of the entire Western Isles. Sandwick North Street representative Rhoda Mackenzie said:
“It’s a very minimum of 10 times more if we own these 21 turbines, compared to if EDF own them.
“So if the townships get control of these turbines, we will be able to put more than £5million a year into the Western Isles economy, compared to about £525,000 from EDF.
“We could do a lot with that money. We’ve got massive cutbacks from government.
“We’ve got a black hole to fill. We’ve got social problems to address. There’s gaps in social care.
“We need to address the problems of the ageing population, social isolation and young people leaving. We need to be more innovative.
“We need to invest in different technologies to reverse the trend of depopulation.
“It’s vitally important that the Western Isles develop these renewables projects for themselves.”
If successful at the auction, Ms Mackenzie stressed that all the profits would go into a community benefit fund for distribution throughout the whole of the Western Isles.
She said: “We want to spread this, to invest in the economy of the entire Western Isles, from the Butt to Barra. The profit won’t be kept by the four townships.
“With us, all the profits would be put into a charitable trust and distributed via a scoring matrix.”
The bid comes as one in 10 children in the Western Isles lives in poverty and the number of households suffering from fuel poverty is running at more than 50%, according to official figures.
More than 40% of the working population are in public sector employment, either with the local authority or the health service. Tourism is the main growth industry.
The townships are encouraged that rivals EDF already has full planning consent for its original scheme as it wants to put its turbines in the same places.
Agents for the townships have been working on the necessary bird studies for nearly two years now and expect the study for the latest breeding season will be completed this month.
As soon as this is completed, the final preparations will be made ahead of submitting applications for planning consent to Western Isles Council.
We need to invest in different technologies to reverse the trend of depopulation