Weekly Intelligence Brief
Beauly-Denny powerline comes under scrutiny
30 October 2009
BBC Scotland has reported that the “go-ahead for a powerline from Beauly to Denny is expected to be given by the Scottish government in the next few weeks”.
It has emerged that approval will soon be given to the controversial upgrading of the 220km Beauly to Denny line, tangling the Highlands in high-voltage wire – 600 pylons, each up to 200ft high. The transmission line would run from Beauly near Inverness to Denny near Falkirk.
Over the past few days, it emerged that the pressure is mounting on the Scottish Government to make a decision on the controversial Beauly to Denny powerline. Backers, including Labour and the Green party, have said the scheme should be approved to help meet renewable energy commitments.
According to a report filed by The Press and Journal, ex-chairman of Scottish Power has claimed that the Beauly to Denny pylon line was a “done deal” even before the year-long public inquiry into the project. Sir Donald Miller also said the hearing was not allowed to hear evidence from him which could have saved electricity customers millions of pounds.
The project is considered to be a complex proposal. The plan is to replace the existing 132kV line and its pylons with a 400kV line involving fewer but taller pylons. The project would also require access tracks for construction and maintenance, ancillary works and new substations. The project when completed will replace an existing transmission line. The project is intended to facilitate the growth of the renewable energy sector, in the north and west of Scotland by making it possible to feed the power generated into the wider National Grid.
Scottish Hydro-Electric Transmission Ltd (SHETL) and SP Transmission Ltd (SPT) submitted applications to the Scottish Ministers, under Section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989, to construct and operate, the transmission line between Beauly, west of Inverness, and Denny, west of Falkirk, on 5 October 2005.
Read more:
Transmission line: http://social.tidaltoday.com/search/node/%22transmission+line%22
