News Release
Professor Roger Crofts CBE, an expert witness for the Beauly Denny Land Group, took the stand today at the public enquiry into the highly controversial Beauly Denny power line. His statement outlines the total lack of coherent Government policies and strategies for renewable energy sources and there fore the total lack of justification for the need for the Beauly Denny transmission line.
Professor Crofts, an environmental and management advisor and former Chief Executive of Scottish Natural Heritage explains:
“To date, there has been no national locational strategy for onshore wind turbine location and the Scottish Executive has consistently refused to provide one. The applicants for the power line claim that the government policy is clear. But this is far from the case.
“Government is clear in supporting renewables sources for electricity generation but is not clear on the technologies or the locations to be used to deliver this. In addition the Minister’s position in deciding on the application is prejudiced by unambiguous statements in favour of the upgrading of the Beauly Denny line (the subject of the PLI) in the National Planning Framework and in DTI documents. The reporters must disregard these statements if there is to be a fair and transparent Inquiry; otherwise the public can only assume that the outcome is a foregone conclusion.”
A critical point is that one of the applicants, Scottish Power transmission has made it clear in a paper to the regulator Ofgem in 2005 that 4.4 giga watts of the target 6 giga watts to meet the renewables supply from electricity by 2020 has already been consented and does not need the Beauly Denny line for its collection into the national electricity grid. It is clear from the potential for other renewables in the central belt of Scotland, including those which do not need grid connections, such as Combined Heat and Power and District Heating Schemes, that the remainder of the target to be met in 13 years time can be achieved without the Beauly to Denny upgrade.
Professor Crofts continued:
“So I conclude that the line upgrade is not needed to meet the Scottish Executive targets, and that the case against the line has been deeply prejudiced by statements in government documents which in turn create grave difficulties for the Minster to make an objective and transparent decision following the conclusion on this PLI”
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Editors Notes
The Beauly-Denny Landscape Group is a banner under which the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland, John Muir Trust, Mountaineering Council of Scotland, National Trust for Scotland, Ramblers Association Scotland and the Scottish Wild Land Group are participating in the Public Local Inquiry for the Beauly to Denny powerline proposal.
Evidence will be given on behalf of the Beauly-Denny Landscape Group by:
- John Mayhew, Head of Policy and Planning, National Trust for Scotland;
- David Jarman, geomorphologist and former Head of Planning West Lothian Council; Stuart Young, construction consultant;
- Professor Roger Crofts, environmental and management advisor, Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and former CEO of Scottish Natural Heritage;
- Professor Andrew Bain, Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and former professor of economics.
