Headaches For Scotland's Windfarms
Renewable Energy Still Faces Opposition On Many Fronts
One of the most renewable energy rich countries in Europe, Scotland must overcome environmental, social and political obstacles before it can claim to be truly green.
As well as oil reserves in the North Sea, Scotland is blessed with almost unlimited renewable energy sources, far more so than its southern neighbour. Vast, deep lakes (Loch Ness, home to Nessie, alone contains more freshwater than every lake in England and Wales combined) offer huge opportunities for eco-friendly hydro-electric schemes. Wind power, offshore and onshore also looks like it will be increasingly utilised in the future as oil stocks are used up and the green movement gains more and more clout in government.
However, both the green lobby and developers are becoming increasingly frustrated by the actions of various groups seeking to delay or halt construction of wind farms. Wind power may have picked up steam in the last decade or so, but the day when Scotland produces all of its energy requirements through renewable sources and starts selling to England still looks extremely far off.
The Anti-Windfarm Movement
There is an entrenched anti-windfarm movement in Scotland, with groups such as SOUL ("save our unspoilt landscape") and numerous others opposing plans for a variety of reasons.
Local environment groups across the country are opposing planned sites for fear that the turbines (over 100 metres tall) will destroy habitats and pose threats to rare bird species while some resident associations are anti-windfarm as they claim they cannot afford to lose land used for crops and grazing. There is also a fairly sizeable nimby element wishing to preserve the Scottish hills and moorlands backed by tourism operators who are not convinced that windfarms posses a beauty equal to the rugged Scottish countryside. A recent survey by Activity Scotland found that 88% of businesses thought that windfarms would have a negative impact on tourism. (www.windwatch.org)
Lewis Windfarm Proposal Rejected, Politicians and Public Welcome Decision
The Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides off Scotland's northwest coast provides one example of strong anti-windfarm feeling. Plans for Europe's biggest on-shore windfarm of 181 turbines were initially rejected on 25th January 2008 by the Scottish Government, and AMEC (the company who would build the site) is anxiously awaiting a final decision. Opposition definitely seems widespread on Lewis; crofters claim land used for grazing would be ruined after construction, and not surprisingly there were objections on wildlife grounds, too. The area is a habitat for rare bird species such as the golden eagle, dunlin, merlin, golden plover and red-throated diver and the difficulties posed by any turbines would be huge
The member of Scottish Parliament for the Western Isles, Alasdair Allan welcomed the decision: "I have said all along that the development planned for North Lewis was on a scale and in a location that was simply unacceptable to the communities concerned" ("The Stornoway Gazette", 25th January 2008).
And even after an offer of fifteen percent ownership of the windfarm was extended to locals by AMEC, as well as four hundred construction jobs and an estimated seventy permanent jobs, a petition against the plans received 12,00 signatures, a staggering number considering the population of Lewis is only around 18,000. A decision from the central government is expected soon.
Problems Nationwide Affecting Government Plans For Renewable Energy Expansion
The situation countrywide is not much better. On average, "non-controversial" proposals take 29 months to be decided on by the Government while more sensitive ones can take around 45 months if they are initially rejected by a local enquiry, “The planning system is overloaded, both at a local authority level and in Edinburgh,” says former Energy Minister Brian Wilson (Sunday Herald, January 20 2008).
Currently, thirteen projects from the Highlands to the Borders are facing delays in getting decisions as to whether they can proceed or not, causing headaches for a government aiming to meet thirty one percent of Scotland's electricity needs through renewables by 2011 (around twenty percent is currently produced by renewables), and 50 percent by 2020.
These are ambitious plans (although far behind the Green Party's current manifesto which aims for seventy percent of electricity demands to be met by renewables by 2020 and one hundred percent by 2050), and have prompted a speeding up of granting proposals as the government sees the energy card as an increasingly potent one to play against pro-union parties in both Edinburgh and London.
Possessed with such an abundance of natural energy resources, Scotland's electricity-producing future is looking greener. However, if the above targets are to be met, the government must significantly speed up the planning and consultation process and also convince sceptical sections of the public that the scourge of many a Scottish summer holiday could indeed help the country in facing an increasingly changing and uncertain world.
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