Wild Land News no 64, Autumn 2005

Go Ahead for Glendoe Hydro Scheme Article

Anne Macintyre reports on a large-scale development in the Highlands

At the end of July Scottish Ministers announced that Scottish and Southern Energy PLC have been given planning permission for the construction and operation of a hydro powered electricity generating station at Glen Doe near Fort Augustus.

This scheme includes:

Construction of a large dam (1000 metres long) at the head of Glen Tarff
Storage of 11.5 million cubic metres of water from a catchment area of 75 square kilometres
Network of aqueducts and pipes feeding water into the reservoir
8.5km tunnel from the dam to an underground power station below Borlum Hill at the eastern edge of Loch Ness to where the water would be discharged after passing through turbines
The power station will have capacity to generate 100MW of electricity
Connection to the public network by means of an undergrounded 132kV power line from the new sub-station to the existing grid at Auchteraw (this connection will be operated by Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission Limited and is not included in the consent although its potential impacts have been addressed in the Environmental Statement)

SWLG objected to the proposal submitted in May 2003 (See WLN 58 - Autumn 2003) on the grounds that the scale and location of the development was inappropriate and it would have a significant and irreversible impact on the landscape.

Responses to the proposals from other agencies and individuals included:

SNH found the proposal acceptable subject to conditions to protect the natural heritage
SEPA originally objected to the application but later withdrew this provided conditions were put in place in respect of management of foul drainage, on-site pollution and waste management during construction and need for peat management scheme to ensure sustainable development
Historic Scotland advised that the proposal would not have any significant impact on either of the two scheduled monuments in the area - General Wade's Military Road and the Caledonian Canal
RSPB withdrew their original objection provided that mitigation measures in respect of the Glendoe Lochans Special Protection Area were included as a condition
Scottish Canoe Association expressed concerns about the proposal and made a number of suggestions to improve recreational canoeing opportunities in the area
Highland Council recommended approval provided conditions were attached
32 other representations were made raising concerns about the impact on transport and traffic (18 representations); landscape and visual impacts (16); impacts on tourism, amenity, recreation and access (16); and ecological impacts (12)

The consent for the proposal has over 30 conditions attached covering bird monitoring, water vole mitigation plans, review of trees for bat roosts, spawning habits of the Arctic Charr, otter disturbance, peat stability and slide mitigation statement, community liaison procedures, noise monitoring and management and recording of archeaological features.

The only condition in relation to landscape and visual impact is the requirement to submit a code of landscape reinstatement prior to work commencing.

The planning consent and conditions from the Scottish Executive stretches to 14 pages but there is no explanation or justification for the decision by Ministers to approve this proposal. A single sentence states,

"The Scottish Ministers have weighed all material considerations and have concluded that there is no need to conduct a public inquiry before reaching their decision. The Scottish Ministers also note that the development is consistent with Government policy on the promotion of renewable energy."

Despite the fact this development will have a massive impact on this area of the Monadhliath Mountains there will be no opportunity to test the proposal through an open and transparent public inquiry. Yet again we see that landscape and wild land values are swept aside to make way for renewable energy developments at any cost.