News Release
For immediate release
On the day (1) that Scottish Power completed the largest operating windfarm (2) in the UK, at Black Law, near Shotts, Lanarkshire, Cameron McNeish, President of Ramblers’ Association Scotland warned the company and its political supporters of a massive public backlash against future windfarm developments.
Cameron McNeish said:
“When Scottish Power started work in January this year on the Black Law development they proudly stated that they were “concentrating on disused industrial sites for major renewables projects” claiming that windfarms “do not need to be built in remote rural areas” and said they were doing this “to avoid the public backlash that has accompanied the increasing number of windfarms” (3).
Cameron continued:
“At the opening ceremony Deputy First Minister, Nicol Stephen, said “we will need much more of these around the country.”(4)
Cameron warns that this commercial and political hypocrisy has to be exposed:
“It is farcical for Scottish Power and its political supporters to claim that these monster windfarm developments are only being located on disused industrial sites. If this were the case why has Scottish Power recently been given approval to site18 giant turbines at Green Knowes in the Ochil hill range, between Stirling and Perth - wild and beautiful countryside which bears no resemblance to the open cast mining site that was at Black Law?”
“The world famous landscapes of Scotland are under massive threat from Scottish Power and their political supporters - Scottish Power thoroughly deserve the public backlash that they were trying to avoid in January with their misleading statements.”
Cameron concluded:
We need action on three fronts:
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To persuade the investors, shareholders and customers of Scottish Power to ask the Company’s senior management to abandon their plans for major windfarms in sensitive locations.
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To elect politicians next May in the Holyrood elections who are committed to a complete overhaul of the planning and financial framework that underpins giant wind turbine development
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To establish a Scottish renewable energy policy which confines giant wind turbines to offshore locations and ensures that all land based turbines are less than 50 metres in height and located on land of low heritage value.”
ENDS
Notes:
(1) Scottish Power have completed Phase 2 of the Black Law development and are marking this with an event at the site, starting 10.30 am, at Shotts.
(2) This is the largest operating windfarm in the UK, with 42 turbines at an average height of 110 metres, to vertical blade tip (330 - 360 ft). Each turbine is taller than the highest tower block in Scotland. It has a 97MW output. Other planning approvals for major windfarms that Scottish Power has obtained include Whitelee on Eaglesham Moor near Glasgow (with 140 giant turbines, up to 110 metres. This will become the UK’s largest windfarm) and Green Knowes in the Ochil Hills (with 18 giant turbines, average height 93 metres).
(3) Comments attributed to Alan Mortimer, Scottish Power’s Head of Renewables Policy (Herald newspaper, 13 Jan 2006)
(4) Comments attributed to Nicol Stephen, Deputy First Minister (ibid)
