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People in Caithness are already living under metallic shadow of wind farms





Holyrood Notebook by Edward Mountain

Causewaymire wind farm in Caithness. Picture: Alan Hendry
Causewaymire wind farm in Caithness. Picture: Alan Hendry

Nobody in the Highlands asked to be at the centre of a so-called renewable energy revolution, now being pursued aggressively by two different governments.

Most people across Caithness enjoy living in undisturbed, peaceful surroundings, and have no appetite to contribute to the mass supply of electricity for the whole UK, or indeed to line the pockets of the many global energy firms queuing up to get involved.

These sentiments are reflected almost daily in the correspondence I receive as an MSP.

Residents and businesses do not want the Highlands sacrificed at the altar of net zero.

This is not an outright rejection of renewable energy, nor a refusal to accept that things need to change over time.

It’s an expression that the Highlands has already done its bit and, to be frank, has seen very little in return.

Communities across the area living in the metallic shadow of onshore wind farms already know all too well about the industrialisation of our landscape.

The march to plaster our hillsides with turbines continues unabated, with dozens of windfarms already having secured planning, and plenty more in the pipeline.

It used to just be the Scottish Government which wanted to roll out the red carpet to these developments, but its enthusiasm is now being eclipsed by the new Labour government in Westminster.

Now there’s a revolution going on off our coastlines too.

The area of sea off Caithness appears to be popular for another tranche of international conglomerates.

They may not be visible from shore, except for on a particularly clear day, but that is not the issue.

The energy they generate at sea needs to be transported to land, harnessed and then moved across the country.

We know all too well in the Highlands the visual devastation being caused by overhead power lines.

At least further south in Aberdeenshire some investment is going into putting cables underground.

But a serious question remains: is the National Grid going to be up to the task of accepting this electricity and connecting it to homes and businesses across the land?

Privately, many in the industry are pessimistic about this, and it begs the question why so much work is going on when the critical juncture may be years away from being ready.

And yet the demand for electricity soars all the same.

How much more power are we going to need once electric cars have increased in number, gas boilers have been outlawed and both the SNP and Labour governments have succeeded in shutting down the oil and gas sector?

We keep hearing about this revolution in Artificial Intelligence, but has anyone stopped to think about the eye-watering amount of electricity facilitating these new technologies will incur?

We have started a breakneck journey towards electrification without the foggiest idea of the cost.

But there is one hefty price being paid, and that’s by the people of the Highlands, whose lives and land risk being changed beyond recognition.

The energy companies who want to cash in on this had better have an extremely generous list of community benefits in exchange for the damage they’re inflicting.

They must be honest about what they plan, and thorough in how they explain the extent of it.

In return, they’ll find respectful communities who understand the need for progression, but will absolutely not tolerate being taken for fools.

Scottish Conservative Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain.
Scottish Conservative Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain.

• Edward Mountain is a Scottish Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands


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