Wind farms could cover same area as National Park

Published on Tuesday 16 June 2009 22:45

AN AREA of Scotland the size of Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park will be covered in turbines if all wind farms in the pipeline are given the go ahead, figures seen by The Scotsman reveal.

A report drawn up by Scottish Natural Heritage shows 194,459 hectares of land in Scotland could be covered by wind farms.

This includes the space taken up by wind farms that have already been built, those that have planning permission, and those that are still going through the consents process.

Proponents of wind farms argue they are essential to meet challenging climate change targets. However, the figures have raised concern among campaign groups worried about the amount of wild land being covered by turbines.

The document reveals that a fifth of the land on which turbines would be built – 41,886 hectares – would be heather moorland. In addition, 1,639 hectares would be mountain land, and 10,421 hectares would be rough grassland.

A spokesman for the John Muir Trust, which campaigns to protect Scotland's wild land, said the extent of development was of concern because wind farms currently only contribute 2.2 per cent of the UK's electricity.

Helen McDade, head of policy at the John Muir Trust, said: "Research suggests that current UK policy could require a twenty-fold increase in industrial wind developments in Scotland.

"More and more, this will mean generating electricity far from the point of use, in scenic and ecologically valuable areas such as Shetland and the Western Isles, with the knock-on effect to tourism."

Ms McDade called for more government funding to be directed towards energy conservation, instead of "inefficient generation".

"Every watt of energy generated by wind power is seven times as expensive as an equivalent saving through loft insulation," she said.

And she called for large-scale onshore wind farms to be built only on brownfield sites, near large centres of population.

Ms McDade added that she was worried about the lack of a clear government strategy for the development of onshore wind farms.

In contrast, a strategic environment assessment is being carried out by the Scottish Government before any offshore wind farms can be built.

Figures from the British Wind Energy Association show there are 69 wind farms in Scotland, another 17 under construction, 53 with planning permission, and 100 seeking consent.

Further applications are also expected in the future.

Last week ScottishPower Renewables emphasised its intention to consider applying for consent for more onshore wind farms in Scotland.

The figures in the SNH Wind Farm Footprint document, produced for Scotland's Moorland Forum, a partnership of 31 organisations concerned with the future of the Scottish uplands, included the entire footprint of the wind farms.

This is the area over which land management is influenced by the wind farm, and is larger than the area of direct habitat loss due to the turbines.

A Scottish Government spokesman highlighted that not all applications would be granted consent. On average, about a third of wind farm applications are turned down, meaning the total land area covered could end up being lower than suggested in the report.

The spokesman said: "Scotland has a vast natural energy potential to create a sustainable, low-carbon economic future. We have always said we cannot have onshore wind anywhere or at any price, and that means utilising some of the best natural resources in Europe for energy from wave, water and wind."