Undersea cables better than giant pylons, says 'green power' report

Published on Tuesday 6 March 2007 03:45

THE use of sub-sea cables is the best long-term economic and environmental solution to take electricity from renewable-energy developments in the Scottish islands to bigger markets in the south, according to an official report.

The conclusion supports the stance taken by many campaigners, who see an undersea option as preferable to building giant pylons down much of Scotland.

The report was presented yesterday to the Highland and Islands Convention in Stornoway, where the First Minister confirmed a decision on the first wind-farm plan for the Western Isles would be announced by the end of this month.

The paper, produced by the Scottish Executive, councils in Shetland, Orkney, Highland, Moray, Western Isles and Argyll and Bute, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Scottish Natural Heritage, Communities Scotland and the Forestry Commission, says connection to the islands is crucial to ensure renewable development is widespread and located in the areas where the best resources are.

At present, Scottish & Southern Energy (SEN) plans to connect proposed renewable-energy development in the Western Isles to the mainland by running an under-sea cable to Ullapool. It would go underground to Beauly, near Inverness, before connecting to Denny, near Stirling, via pylons.

The controversial Beauly-Denny upgrade is the subject of a public inquiry due to last most of this year.

The paper presented to the convention argues that the grid is the single greatest threat to the area's renewable-energy development.

It says the region has an extraordinary opportunity which it cannot shirk, having some of Europe's best wind, wave and tidal resources.

Projects of more than 1,000MW are planned for the Western Isles, 600MW on Shetland and 200MW on Orkney.

The paper says: "For these projects to proceed, a clear route to securing investment in sub-sea cables is needed and clarity on costs is essential."

Willy Roe, HIE's chairman, who presented the report, said a long-term view was needed. "Beauly-Denny needs to be upgraded anyway; it's coming to the end of its life. It's just a question of how it's upgraded and for what purpose," he said.

"If you think in tens of years, then you probably do have a string of pylons across the UK," said Mr Roe. "But if you take a 50, 100 or 200-year outlook, there is no doubt that you connect the supply to demand in other ways."

He said there was sense in looking at sub-sea links from Orkney and Shetland to connections in England and the Continent. "For the west, surely it makes the best long-term economic sense and environmental sense to put a cable down the west coast," he said.

A spokesman for SSE said it was consulting on its preferred route and all contributions would be examined. He said a study was carried out on a sub-sea cable many years ago, but no follow-up was considered.

Meanwhile, Jack McConnell, the First Minister, said the first of the two wind-farm applications for Lewis would be decided "within the next few weeks".