SSEN announcement on power line between Spittal and Beauly welcomed by north MSP
THE announcement by SSEN Transmission that it will look again at plans for a power line connecting Spittal and Beauly has been welcomed by Green Highlands and Islands MSP, Ariane Burgess.
She is pleased the company has said it will "continue to actively explore alternative overhead line routes and substation locations, alongside potential mitigation measures, in direct response to community and stakeholder feedback."
Ms Burgess said: "Having called for an extension to the consultation period for the plans, I’m glad that communities took the opportunity to have their say – more than 600 online forms were completed as well as letters and emails - and Scottish & Southern Energy Networks (SSEN) are listening to their concerns."
She added: "Last month, I joined SSEN at one of their sites near Tomatin to discuss how to increase biodiversity around power infrastructure. Changes to planning policy in Scotland through the new National Planning Framework, which I led on for the Scottish Greens, give more emphasis to the need to protect our environment and biodiversity while acknowledging the need to support and increase our renewable energy supply.
"This is a tricky balance to strike but I welcome the commitment of SSEN to continue engaging with communities to make sure these projects are as sympathetic as possible to local landscapes."
The announcement of the plans in March prompted the rise of a campaign movement and protest groups. SSEN Transmission intends to develop a new 400kV overhead line between Spittal and Beauly.
At the time, Martin Godwin, community liaison manager for SSEN Transmission, said: "We would like to assure all stakeholders that we fully recognise the strength of feeling and will do all we can to balance the views of local communities against the key environmental, technical and economic factors we have to consider."
