24 October 2008 - SSE Apply for Consent to Construct Western Isles Connection
Scottish and Southern Energy has submitted applications to construct a transmission connection between the Isles of Lewis and the mainland grid at Beauly. It is understood that the route is largely the same as the proposed route published in July. Clarification is being sought on the exact nature of the applications, and whether they will trigger any public consultation.
11 July 2008 - SSE Publish Indicative Proposed Route for Western Isles Connection
Scottish and Southern Energy yesterday published a report on the consultations that have taken place in respect of the proposed Western Isles Connection, together with an Indicative Proposed Route. The report confirms that the mainland section will be proposed as an underground cable running from Little Loch Broom to Beauly, this being an extension of the subsea cable crossing the Minch. For the section on Lewis, a proposed overland route is given, but work is in progress to examine the possibility of using a subsea cable to Stornoway as an alternative.
We clearly welcome the fact that SSE have listened to the concerns of the public, and have proposed an underground cable as an alternative to the original 400kV overhead line through this fabulous area of the Highlands. However, we remain convinced that SSE's focus on connecting to their substation at Beauly means that a great opportunity is being missed. The alternative that HBP promotes is to connect Lewis to the south using a subsea cable down the west coast, connecting either in the central belt of Scotland, or in England. This would lay the foundations for an offshore grid, encompassing both east and west coasts, that would in future enable marine renewable power to be transmitted to the south without any new overhead lines stretching the length of the country.
SSE's report and maps can be downloaded from their website; it is also worth looking at their press release on the topic.
24 April 2008 - Website Update
After a long break, work is now under way to update the web site. Most of the basic information here remains valid, but recent developments will be addressed, such as influential reports supporting the use of subsea cables, and what the refusal of permission for the Barvas Moor wind farm on Lewis means for our campaign.
21st December 2006 - Consultation on Western Isles Connection
Last week, SSE published details of their preferred option for building a new grid connection between the Western Isles and the mainland. As expected, they continue to favour linking to Beauly. The big surprise is that they are putting forward a solution that would see an underground cable from the west coast, in the Dundonnell area, to the east coast at Beauly. However, the catch is that they are also putting forward a preferred option for a high voltage overhead line, should the underground option prove unacceptable for any reason - this would see us back at square one.
There are many complex issues to consider in viewing these proposals, and further information will be posted here, and on the "Current Issues" page, as we work through it.
21st December 2006 - MWT Winter Update
Latest news from Lewis based Moorland Without Turbines.
29th November 2006 - Beauly to Denny Public Inquiry
After taking a rest through the summer (absolutely glorious in the Highlands!), HBP has been working overtime recently, helping to develop the arguments against the need for a new 400kV overhead power line between Beauly and Denny. The cause of this activity is that there is to be a Public Inquiry, starting early in 2007, which will examine the issues associated with the application to construct the power line. This is welcome news, but the downside is the extremely tight timescale that we have to work to. The arguments that we have been helping with will form the backbone of the case presented by those who object to this line. The organisations that we are working with are the Beauly-Denny Landscape Group, and Scotland Before Pylons, each of which is an association of many different groups who have wide ranging concerns about the development, and what it means for the future.
25th May 2006 - HIE Report to Study Options for Transmission Connections to Scottish Islands
HBP have welcomed the announcement that Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) are to commission a report, which will study the feasibility of new grid connections for the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland. From the start of our campaign, we have argued that an authoritative and independent review of the options for connecting new renewable generation on Lewis to the mainland grid is needed, and this study is now long overdue. This view is confirmed by HIE, who stress the urgency of the work, and set a short time scale for delivery of the report.
With one of the sponsors being the Scottish Executive, we are encouraged to note in the briefing document that they are calling on the UK government to allow the industry regulator (Ofgem) to take account of the "relative environmental costs" when comparing land based and subsea grid enhancements. To date, the emphasis when planning new or upgraded transmission lines has been on minimising the financial cost. Other costs associated with new overhead lines have either been ignored, or given low priority in the planning process. Costs such as environmental damage, health risks, impact on tourism, and planning delays are amongst the disadvantages of overhead lines that can be largely, or sometimes completely, avoided by the use of subsea cables.
Whilst the outcome of the report cannot be prejudged, we are confident that our cost predictions for long distance undersea transmission cables will be confirmed. This in turn will finally lay to rest the exaggerated cost estimates that have been used to dismiss the viability of undersea cables in the past.
One disappointment with the report is that Highland Council are not amongst the sponsors. Whilst the report will be concerned with the islands, their connection to the mainland grid can have a significant effect on the Highlands. First, amongst the various options, the study will consider the benefits of bringing the cables from the islands ashore at the nearest possible point on the mainland, which would be in the Highlands. This would have consequences in terms of additional transmission lines passing through the Highlands, and in terms of limiting the use of the grid by renewable generation in the Highland area. Second, it is well recognised that the Highlands requires enhanced grid connections to the south, if its renewable energy aspirations are to be met. Looking at the transmission network, Highland region is isolated in much the same way as the islands, and we believe that subsea transmission options should be studied for areas such as Caithness.
14th April 2006 - UK Energy Review
Today marks the end of the consultation phase of the UK Energy Review. Whilst the terms of the review appear not to take account of our primary concerns with respect to overhead transmission lines, we have sent in our response to the review, in common with many other environmental campaign groups. The text of our comments is available here.
12th April 2006 - Highland Council Object to Beauly to Denny Overhead 400kV Power Line
Highland Council's planning committee has today unanimously objected to a proposed major upgrade of electricity pylons leading from Beauly to Denny. The full story can be read at the BBC's website. The Council is now calling on the UK Government's Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the regulator Ofgem to allow more to be spent on placing parts of the transmission line underground, an idea still opposed by the developer, Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE). What is at stake here is a principle that will apply to the development of all future transmission lines across Scotland and the UK, namely that extra expenditure is justified to avoid the social, economic, environmental and health problems that pylon lines bring. We ask all to join the Council in writing to the DTI and Ofgem to add pressure to the call for allowing more to be spent. See Current Issues for more information.
March 2006 -   BBC Action Network
Highlands Before Pylons has recently featured on the BBC's Action Network website, with Sue Hopkinson giving an overview of the campaign, and Eddie Hughes serving as mentor, answering questions from those starting new campaigns, covering the topics 'Getting off the ground' and 'Persuading the politicians'. Coming next, Eddie will be on the radio, appearing on Action Scotland, which will be broadcast on 16th March at 11:05am on Radio Scotland (you can listen online here).
January 2006 - Briefing Notes Published
We now have a set of briefing notes, that cover the key areas of our campaign. These notes are being used to support our meetings with MPs, MSPs and civil servants that we have planned over the coming months.
7 December 2005 - Newsletter No. 2
Beauly to Denny Power Line - Western Isles Connection - Scotland to England Interconnector - Transmission Charging. Not promising titles, but some simple issues are raised that are essential background to our campaign.
27 November 2005 -   AMEC go for the Undersea Alternative for Lewis Wind Farm Connection
In a Sunday Times article today, AMEC are said now to favour an undersea cable from the Western Isles south to Hunterston, as an alternative to an overhead line on massive pylons crossing north west Scotland from Ullapool to Beauly.
We obviously welcome this announcement, but know that our campaign is far from over. Not least, because in eighteen months of campaigning we have formed strong links with groups on Lewis threatened by industrial scale wind farm developments, and elsewhere with groups opposed to new transmission lines running the length of Scotland. The knowledge that we have gained has convinced us that building major power stations in very remote places is not good energy policy. Whilst the solution using undersea cables is better than that using overhead lines, it leaves in place the prospect of communities in Lewis living in the shadow of the world's largest wind farm, and new pylon lines running the length of the country (Beauly to Denny, the Scotland-England interconnector, and beyond) to connect renewable generation elsewhere in the north.
In the event that this news story turns out to be well founded, we will continue to work for the sensible alternatives to pylons: local generation for local demand, and improved energy efficiency to reverse the ever increasing demand for electricity.
5 October 2005 - Beauly to Denny Power Line - Application Submitted
SHETL have now submitted the application for consent to build a new 400kV overhead power line between Beauly, in the Scottish Highlands, and Denny near Stirling. You can download a nontechnical summary for free from the SSE website, but getting hold of the full submission is expensive. HBP and others in the Scotland before Pylons alliance will examine the extremely weighty submission in as much detail as is possible, and then make suggestions for reasons to object before the closing date on 12 December.
30 September 2005 - Beauly to Denny Power Line - Application Imminent
As we publish our newsletter, we hear that SHETL and Scottish Power are likely to submit the application for the Beauly to Denny power line to the Scottish Executive early in October. For latest information see the SSE website; we will update our own website as soon as possible.
30 September 2005 - First HBP Newsletter published
We today published our first newsletter - follow the link below. This is long overdue, and in future we will try to send them out at regular intervals - let us know what you think!
Newsletter 1
25 July 2005 - Beauly to Denny Power Line
The Scottish transmission companies, SHETL and Scottish Power, today published the proposed route for the Beauly to Denny 400kV transmission line, which will form the basis of their application to the Scottish Executive for consent to build the line.  Details of the proposed route are available on the SSE website.
If built, this power line will traverse some exceptionally important areas in terms of landscape, such as the Cairngorms National Park, and will also pass close to many areas of population. To date, campaign groups opposing this line have concentrated on the need to place sections of the line underground, an idea that has consistently been resisted by the transmission companies. Now, however, we believe that the time has come to re-examine the need for a 400kV overhead line from Beauly to Denny. The perceived need for this line arises from proposed renewable energy developments in the north of Scotland. It is well recognised that the real future of renewable energy lies offshore, with wave, tidal, and offshore wind technologies playing an increasing important part. As such, it seems clear that the idea of  transmitting the power using undersea cables down both east and west coasts is worthy of serious consideration. We will therefore challenge the Beauly to Denny line proposal on the basis that not all alternatives have been considered, and that an overhead line running down the spine of the country represents poor value for money in the long term.
Keep an eye on our Current Issues page to see how you can help to achieve a truly environmentally friendly alternative to pylons.
5 May 2005 - UK General Election
The election has now passed, with Charles Kennedy retaining his seat in Ross, Skye and Lochaber - the largest constituency in the UK by land area. Before the election we asked the candidates for their views on the pylon issue, and also on renewable energy in general. The replies that we received are available here.
April 2005 - SSE Surveyors in Lochbroom area
Spring has seen the arrival of teams of surveyors, employed by SSE to assess the environmental effects of the proposed power line, and to assess the ground conditions for the purpose of building tower bases, and possibly for laying sections of the cable underground. Any hopes that the surveys were solely aimed at assessing the viability of an underground cable to Beauly were dashed by the realisation that some of the areas being surveyed were obviously unsuitable for such a purpose.
24 February 2005 - Further Opportunity to Object to Eisgein Windfarm on Lewis
MWT, the Lewis based group opposing industrial scale windfarms on the Western Isles, have informed us that the company behind the 133 turbine Eisgein scheme have submitted further information in their Environmental Impact Assessment, opening up a new period of public consultation. The deadline for submissions is 1 April. HbP have studied the plans for this windfarm, and are of the opinion that the environmental damage caused by the scheme will outweigh any potential gain. Please help our campaign by writing to object to this planning application. Further details are available on the MWT website.

Report on Preliminary Consultation, SHETL, February 2005
11 February 2005 - Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission Ltd (SHETL) issued a report today, giving details of their progress in dealing with the results of the Preliminary Consultation on the Western Isles Transmission Connection. The full text is available here.
In summary, the report states that the five route corridors that were put forward in the Preliminary Consultation Document have now been reduced to two:
•   Ullapool - Garve - Beauly
•   Melvich - Shin - Beauly
Both of these are, of course, unacceptable to HBP as overhead lines. However, SHETL are giving consideration to placing the cable underground to a point closer to Beauly, which would be an improvement, but would still probably leave a significant length of overhead line in the Beauly area.
We continue to be convinced that an undersea cable connecting the Western Isles to England is the best option. Whilst this was rejected some years ago on grounds of cost, it appears that these costs were over-inflated, and that the option may be economically viable.

Preliminary Consultation on Western Isles Transmission Connection, November 2004
The following are copies of submissions made by various organisations, including our own:

•   Highlands before Pylons
•   Highland Council
•   National Trust for Scotland
•   Scottish Natural Heritage
•   John Muir Trust
•   Mountaineering Council of Scotland
•   Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
•   Ramblers Association Scotland


Formation of 'European Federation Against High-Voltage Power Lines'

Over twenty organisations opposed to the construction of high voltage overhead power lines met in Arles-sur-Tech on 27th and 28th November, amongst them representatives from Highlands before Pylons and Stirling before Pylons. Details are in this press release.









Page last updated 26 October 2008