SNP’s £30million wind farm windfall

Ministers accused of conf lict of interest as Government and its agencies prof it from expansion of turbines

MINISTERS are at the centre of a ‘conflict of interest’ row after raking in millions of pounds from the expansion of wind farms.

The Scottish Government has previously been accused of ignoring the protests of local communities to grant permission for hundreds of turbines.

Now new figures indicate how much the Government and its agencies have profited from overruling objectors.

In total, they earned £30million from renewable energy companies looking to expand their businesses in the past eight years.

The substantial payments – mostly sent to Scotland’s forestry quango – have covered the cost of ‘access’ rights, land rents and compensation for the felling of timber to make way for turbines.

They have also been used to settle the cost of ‘development’ fees and mineral royalties, which are charges paid by wind farms when they disrupt natural minerals such as stone used for building roads.

Yet over the same period Ministers have overturned hundreds of planning decisions where local authorities have blocked the building of new wind farms.

Last night, campaigners and opposition parties said it represented a ‘conflict of interest’, and criticised the Government and its agencies for accepting money to encourage the industry, which they fear is blighting Scotland’s landscape with ‘unsightly’ turbines.

Iain Milligan, spokesman for campaign group Save Our Hills, said: ‘The figures here expose the vast amounts of money which change hands where onshore wind farms are concerned.

‘People in these communities will clearly be worried that a government agency stands to profit so considerably from developments which are so controversial.

‘The Government needs to be completely transparent about these arrangements and set out clearly which wind farms are paying money to quangos and for how much.’

Scottish Tory net zero spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘Renewable energy has an important part to play as we all try to move towards net zero. But that doesn’t give the SNP Government a free hand when it comes to wind farm applications, and certainly doesn’t permit Ministers to be blasé when the risk of conflict of interest emerges.’

He added: ‘Often these projects infuriate rural communities who feel they aren’t sufficiently defended by the Government.

‘The fact one of the SNP’s agencies is making so much money from wind farms in this way requires an explanation from Ministers.’

The Government has a ‘net zero’ target for the year 2045, which means the amount of harmful greenhouse gases produced will be at least matched by the amount removed from the atmosphere.

Statistics released under freedom of information laws show, in total, Scotland’s 24 major wind farms have offered Ministers and mandarins £28,067,042 to set up shop across the country since 2013.

Under Scots law, any firm hoping to construct, extend or operate an electricity generating station with a capacity to produce more than 50 megawatts of electricity must get permission from the Government.

Since 2018, Scottish Power has spent £179,000 to get permission to extend Whitelee Wind Farm, East Renfrewshire, and Arecleoch Wind Farm, Ayrshire, as well as to construct and operate Hagshaw Hill Wind Farm, Lanarkshire, and apply for ‘Solar/Battery construction/ operation’ at Whitelee.

Yet by far the biggest beneficiary of wind farm projects has been Forestry and Land Scotland. In the financial year 2019/20, the quango secured £12,757,791 from wind farms. Meanwhile, in 2020/21, it earned £15,052,251.

Latest figures show that in 261 cases, local authorities refused permission for turbines to be built, but the Government overturned their decisions at the appeal stage.

A Scottish Government spokesman said payment for land use for renewable energy development is ‘common practice’.

‘These projects infuriate rural communities ’