NEWS
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Projects summary:
SSE Subsea-cable - at 15/05/2013
The DECC and Scottish government have issued the final report (15/05/2013) on their investigation into the cost effectiveness of the grid upgrades required to service windfarms on the islands. Energy secretary Ed Davey said the report "marks a considerable step in progress towards making decisions" on renewable on the Scottish Islands but added that "it's vital that projects represent value for money for the consumer".
Report on the evidence base for developing renewables projects on the Scottish Islands
Scottish Islands Renewables Project: Final Report (15/05/2013)
Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission have issued an update on grid developments accross Scotland including the Western Isles (22/12/2012):
Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission: Projects Review
In November 2012 Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission made the following announcment:
"Following an assurance on the programme for development of large generation schemes in March this year, SHE Transmission advanced detailed contractual negotiation with the preferred supplier of the HVDC Link. The first stage of this negotiation concluded in late summer and it became clear that the cost and delivery programme agreed in October 2010 would be substantially altered. The total cost of the HVDC Link (excluding associated infrastructure on Lewis) is now estimated to be no less than £700 million. The current programme estimates a delay in the planned completion date of October 2015 for the HVDC Link of at least 12 months with a real potential it could be later. Further negotiations with the supplier are ongoing."
The full statement can be downloaded at the following address:
2012 - It has been annonced the the company who has bought the rights to the Muaitheabhal windfarm, International Power part of French global company GDF-Suez, will initially underwrite the costs of the interconnector. Previously SSE said its national grid operator subsiduary SHETL has:
"concluded that the lack of financial underwriting from electricity generators (attributed to the level of transmission charges) relating to the link from the Western Isles to the mainland meant it would not be able to conclude a contract for the supply of the necessary electricity cable. As a result, it withdrew its request to Ofgem for authorisation to make the investment. It will, however, prepare a new request for authorisation to invest in the link as soon as these issues are resolved. In practice, this is likely to take at least one year.”
PAIRC WINDFARM, PAIRC ESTATE - status unknown
December 2012. A Hebrides News article reports that SSE PLC have sold their interest in the Pairc Windfarm to International Power, owners of the neighboring Muaithebhal Windfarm.
On August 8th 2012 Scottish and Southern Energy announced that they were withdrawing their interest in the Pairc Windfarm due to environmental constraints, stating:
We still believe that there is potential to develop a wind farm with fewer turbines on the Pairc Estate. We are exploring opportunities to transfer interests to another developer.
However the application is still listed on the Scottish Government website as a live application by SSE PLC for a 250MW windfarm:
In the documentation issued by the Scottish Government in connection with the Stornoway Windfarm consent( 7 September 2012), the Scottish Government has written: "The Pairc application is on hold pending information from the applicant (Scottish and Southern Energy) on whether it wishes to proceed with the application..."
However, despite the still being listed as a live application, the Pairc Windfarm is no longer being included in cumulative impact assessments for windfarms on the Western Isles. And it is apparent that the Stornoway Windfarm consent has been contingent on excluding the estimated impacts of Pairc Windfarm:
"...However, if Pairc wind farm were to be included in the cumulative assessment it could not be ascertained that the combined effect of both Stornoway and Pairc would not adversely affect the integrity of the Lewis Peatlands SPA. Pairc wind farm contributes nearly 50% of the total predicted collision mortality of Golden eagle as indicated in the table above.
Should Pairc proceed to determination, this will require a new Appropriate Assessment and cumulative collision mortality assessment from all proposed and consented wind farms in the Western Isles Natural Heritage Zone (NHZ) including both Stornoway and Pairc."
Both Stornoway Wind Power and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar previously lobbied for the Pairc SSE application to be disregarded in future considerations of the cumulative impacts of windfarm projects on Lewis and Harris.
The original application by SSE PLC to build a 205 MW windfarm on Pairc Estate, Isle of Lewis, was put before Comhairle nan Eilean Siar in 2007. It was decided to recommend that the Scottish Ministers approve only 26 of turbines. Scottish and Southern Energy submitted an ammended application to build a 26 turbine (94 MW) windfarm on Pairc Estate in Feb 2009. This application was recommended for approval by the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar planning committee on 21 April 2009.
NEW APPLICATION: Druim Leathann Windfarm
Druim Leathann Windfarm Ltd, a subsiduary of Vision Renewables Holdings LLP (https://www.duedil.com/company/SO302844/vision-renewables-holdings-llp) has submitted an application to errect 14 wind turbines (up to 126.5m to blade tip and maximum combined output of 42MW) and install associated infrastructure immediately to the east of Tolsta. During working hours the application and environmental impact assessment can be downloaded from the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar website:
We are concerned that the planning application has been submitted prematurely and with insufficient information to allow it to de determined. More importantly the layout proposed appears to be an attempt to squeeze the maximum number of turbines into the small space available between the village and the boundary of the Lewis Peatlands SPA/SAC. Despite Scottish Government guidelines that a seperation distance of 2km is desirable between properties and large turbines, Druim Leathann Windfarm Ltd are proposing to errect turbines only just over a km from houses.
NEW PROPOSAL: MUAITHEABHAL WINDFARM South Extension - (Previous applications consented 8 December 2011)
In May 2012 it was revealed that Eishken Estate owner Nicholas Oppenheim investigating a further extension to the windfarm on the Eishken estate under the name Uisinis Power. This time to the south and east of Loch Sealg with current documentation discussing up to 30 turbines. He previoulsy announced that he had been successful in selling the rights to the previously consented Muaitheabhal Windfarm and Muaitheabhal East Extension to International Power part of French global company GDF-Suez.
28th December 2010: The Scottish Government issued a press release announcing that it had approved the 6 turbine, 21MW extension to the Muaitheabhal Windfarm (118MW, 33 turbines see below). The proposed extension turbines will be 150m high to blade tip, some of the largest onshore turbines proposed in the UK.
The decision notice can be downloaded from the government website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/917/0123862.pdf
The link to the site map also links to the decision notice but a a map showing the proposed layout from the application is on the Mauaitheabhal page (menu left).
14 January 2010: The Scottish Government announced that it had given planing consent for 33 turbines to be built on the Eishken Estate. These are the turbines that were proposed in the last application by Beinn Mor and Crionaig Power in August.
BEINN MHOLACH A.K.A Pentland Road Windfarm - Operational
Pentland Road Windfarm is now under construction.
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar approved this, the first windfarm on the Lewis Peatlands Special Protection Area. The 6 turbine project was first aproved in 2003 amidst great controversy when Scottish Natural Heritage withdrew their objection, following a one day inspection by SNH officers, which they claimed allowed them to conclude that the windfarm would not impact on the interests of the SPA. This was following a catalogue of complaints after the developers had already manifestly failed to conform to SNH's own guidelines for Environmentalk Impact Assesments, compalints which neither SNH or the plannning authorities upheld. The application was then called in following objections from the aviation industry and was potentially heading for Public Inquiry when a suprise announcement was made this year that the aviation issues had been
resolved. The details have not yet been made public.
STORNOWAY WINDFARM - Consented
The Scottish Government has anounced that it has consented the Stornoway Windfarm - 7 September 2012.
Following the removal of 6 turbines along the boundary of the SPA, both RSPB and SNH withdrew their objections. However this was contingent on the Pairc windfarm being excluded from the cumulative impact assessment to prevent unacceptable impacts.
Previously LWP submitted an application to build a 42 turbine windfarm south of Stornoway, to the west of the Lochs Road. A non-technical summary can be downloaded from their website:
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar considered the application prior to the 2012 election. |
PUBLICATIONS, APPLICATIONS AND CONSULTATIONS
Scottish Islands Renewables Project: Final Report
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Recent media coverage
Also see the Archive pages - left menu
17 May 2013
Interconnector Blow
16 May 2013
Fears sub-sea cable may never be built
15 May 2013
SHE Transmission welcomes publication of Scottish Islands Renewable Report
Island windfarms halted for four years
Scottish island renewables face "considerable" cost barriers
Scottish islands set for renewable jobs boost 'if challenges overcome'
Report on the evidence base for developing renewables projects on the Scottish Islands
Scottish Islands Renewables Project: Final Report
Green energy could bring 10,000 to islands - study
10000 jobs could come from islands renewable energy projects
Comhairle: Urgent need to press ahead with sub-sea cable
Local Labour wants to see the papers on sub-sea cable
Progress on Scottish Island renewables
Report Welcome But Action Needed Now
14 May 2013
Stornoway Wind Farm submits grid application
Comhairle plans cheaper electricity for islanders
12 May 2013
Tolsta turbine
9 May 2013
Subsea cable report kicked into next week
8 May 2013
Further delay for subsea cable report
7 May 2013
Sub-sea cable deadline missed
3 May 2013
Energy cable deadline row
MSPs in fight for interconnector
Comhairle Welcomes Interconnector Debate
2 May 2013
Wind turbines power sewage works
1 May 2013
Firm wants to build £70m isles turbines
30 April 2013
Plan for £70 million wind farm lodged
3 April 2013
Storas Uist completes Scotland's largest community owned windfarm
25 March 2013
Windfarm built after 11 years
Clash of nature
Subsea cable delay could take years
24 March 2013
SSE pushed for update on Western Isles
Row over two wind farms in view of standing stones
6 March 2013
Callanish Stones ruling risks community development
4 March 2013
Row over two wind farms in view of standing stones
15 February 2013
Jones Bros wins trio of wind farm contracts
11 February 2013
Government blocks turbines in view of Callanish Stones
4 February 2013
Unfair energy export charges prompts study
Consultants to look at the renewable energy potential of the islands
28 January 2013
Kirkabost Windfarm planning decision
20 January 2013
No start date for stalled sub-sea energy cable
18 January 2013
Uncertainty over Western Isles cable 'disappointing'
17 January 2013
Western Isles subsea cable work could begin in summer
11 January 2013
Hebrides Range Task Force challenges MoD on turbines
Pentland Road Wind Farm in Construction
22 December 2012
SSE urged to meet ministers over cable
21 December 2012
Affordability question over Lewis sub-sea cable
Wave farm plans are axed
20 December 2012
Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission: Projects Review
Older news items relating to all windfarm developments on the Outer Hebrides are to be found in the Archive pages
PUBLICATIONS
January 30 2009 - The Scottish Government report on the development of renewable energy on the Western Isles has been published
October 2007 - The Scottish national campaign group Views of Scotland have published two reports on the Lewis windfarms for the SNP Conference.
"Carbon savings and wind power on Lewis" provides an analysis of the CO2 emissions that could be offset by the schemes, from the developers claims through to scenarios taking account of potential CO2 emissions from degraded peat disturbed by the developments.
"Public attitudes to wind power on Lewis" brings together the results of the measures of public opinion which have been undertaken on the island from the first survey by the North Lewis windfarm Survey Group to the recent Pairc Community Council Ballot, as well as the number of objections to each proposal.
Download both reports at: http://www.viewsofscotland.org/snp_conference/
MWT would like to express our thanks to Views of Scotland for their support !
CAMPAIGN INFORMATION DOWNLOADS
No windfarctory on Lewis!
COPYRIGHT
All information contained on this website is copyright Moorland without Turbines unless otherwise stated. Please contatct us if you would like to directly reproduce any on the content. Thank you.
ABOUT US
We are Lewis residents, who are alarmed and concerned at the various proposed windfarm developments for our island. Our concerns are:
- a lack of public discussion on these developments;
- the failure to ascertain the views of the people who are most affected;
- the visual impact ;
- Environmental - irreversible damage to blanket bog, adverse affects to bird habitat and life,
effects on natural water channels, rivers and lochans;
- Adverse affect on crofting, tourism and our way of life;
- Encroachment on a SPA (Special Protection Area) which has been designated by Europe
and which should be protected, and on the habitats of species protected under European law.
- that a public resource can be used so readily by a private company to make profit
- Disregard for the natural heritage of our island
- Lack of a coherent renewable energy policy for these islands from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the
local authority
We began with informal meetings in each others homes, progressed onto more public meetings and have now galvanised ourselves into a formal opposition group to the inappropriate developments that are being proposed for Lewis. We have a steering group, a number of sub-groups and an increasing number of people who subscribe to our aims and whom we regularly keep in contact with via email and telephone. If you would like to join this list, please go to the contact section. We welcome everybody who shares our aims to join and support our effort.
Our Aims
(a) “To protect the Lewis landscape, its people and economy against inappropriate industrial developments, such as the currently proposed windfarm schemes; and to oppose the pylon-isation of the Highlands and Islands.
(b) To be a small active group that encourages, supports and mobilises the wider population in opposition of inappropriate developments.
(c) To liaise with all interested parties in relation to (a) & (b) above
How to help
MWT has now been existence for over 4 years - During this time many hundreds of hours have been spent undertaking research, preparing information, printing, copying videos, delivering literally thousands of information leaflets and objection letters accross the island, organising meetings .. the list is endless.
We have only been able to acheive this through the dedication of volunteers willing to give their time, energy and skills. The costs of the campaign over 4 years have been met purely by donations, often small, a pound or two, for which we are extremely grateful.
Please help us continue to fight for the Lewis Moorland and its people.
We have a bank account in the name of “Mòinteach gun Mhuileann” with the Clydesdale Bank, Stornoway branch, Sort Code: 82-69-25, Account: 90048349……….
A standing order form is also available (in PDF format) here. MGM-SO.pdf
We can now accept donations via Paypal. Please send these from your Paypal account to: mwt@semantise.com.
Any amount would be gratefully appreciated. Mòran taing. Thank you.
Contact us
MWT,1 North Bragar, Isle of Lewis, HS2 9DA
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