Just back from the Legion Hall in Dingwall after looking around the Public Consultation event today about the new power line that’s being planned to run from Wick to Beauly. It was a well attended event, but the SSENSSEN Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks is a trading name of Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution Limited Registered in Scotland people didn’t think to print out any higher resolution maps of the possible routes that ran through the village before they came, so I can’t show you anything more detailed. I have asked then to email me one, and when I get it I’ll replace the one below. They were keen to stress that the route is not set in stone, and could be changed. They seem to have thrown the problem into some GIS type application, which churns out the path of least resistance, and as far as I could see that means avoiding houses. That’s probably because they are obviously aware of the risk of Leukemia clusters from people living close to these power lines, and this power line is super high voltage. To me it already seems a done deal, although they do give three options (D1) tucked beyond the golf course to the north (D2) running just under the Cats Back to the south or (D3) bring it south down the A835 through Garve. D1 is the preffered route and when you see the route in more detail it looks something like this:-
If you study the map the 57 metre (187 feet) tall pylons spaced ~350 metres apart will straddle Loch Kinellan – I kid you not – so make sure you get some photos before they start building it. Obviously beautiful views don’t seem to score too highly in the software used by the SSEN to decide the path of least resistance.
Here’s a shot of their monitor showing the routes around Strathpeffer in a bit more detail. Today’s event goes on till 7 pm, but if you can’t make it, don’t forget there’s another feedback session in Beauly tomorrow, and a virtual event on the 6th of March.
Thank you very much indeed for attending and reporting on this very significant consultation on behalf of the village. I am confused as to why it is necessary to install these pylons in the first place. If these are indeed required specifically between Wick and Beauly, surely there is a more direct route of passage? As a relative newcomer to Strathpeffer I would be grateful for understanding why technologically advanced underground cabling cannot be an alternative and better outcome.
Hi Martin
From what I gather the old system is creaking under the strain and just can’t handle all the extra power from the wind farms especially the gigantic ones planned or being built along the coast. I think the National Grid are doing this across the whole network now that we won’t be filling up at Tesco’s anymore!
Thanks for that. My understanding from reading the press was that the “old system” was to be replaced by all singing and dancing green opportunities and modern technologies so that seasonal blackouts or brownouts would be of the past? Am I wrong or am I wrong?
I don’t know – that’s more to do with how and what technologies we choose to generate the energy with rather than it’s distribution.