Grid connection
Bloomberg report that Scottish & Southern may have to compete with third party companies to deliver electricity to the grid. This is particularly focussed on renewable projects in the islands.
This is excellent news for the Western Isles, as it raises the possibility of different connections, which I have highlighted before. I don't think that it changes the chance of the application being approved or rejected, but it does have one huge benefit which I hope everyone will support.
The worst case scenario - and I have said this repeatedly - is that the large scale applications for wind power in the islands get approval, but then are not developed due to problems with the transmission network i.e. the pylons between Beauly-Denny are refused.
This would create planning blight in the Islands, while no-one knew what was happening, or whether the best/worst was going to occur.
This new plan gives the proposals (if they are approved) another way to be delivered - the AMEC owned cable, I have long forecast as being the most likely outcome.
This is excellent news for the Western Isles, as it raises the possibility of different connections, which I have highlighted before. I don't think that it changes the chance of the application being approved or rejected, but it does have one huge benefit which I hope everyone will support.
The worst case scenario - and I have said this repeatedly - is that the large scale applications for wind power in the islands get approval, but then are not developed due to problems with the transmission network i.e. the pylons between Beauly-Denny are refused.
This would create planning blight in the Islands, while no-one knew what was happening, or whether the best/worst was going to occur.
This new plan gives the proposals (if they are approved) another way to be delivered - the AMEC owned cable, I have long forecast as being the most likely outcome.
19 comments:
Actually, the Denny-Beauly connection is running into serious problems.
The Reporters in charge have been accused of bias (quelle surprise! Bias? By politicians? NEVER!) by refusing to admit expert evidence against the pylons, which in turn has created the near-certain impression that this is a money-wasting, anti-democratic, totalitarian 'stitch-up'.
Given that, various parties are considering legal action to halt the inquiry altogether, and to require lengthy environmental impact studies which will probably halt any development for some time.
Meantime, we're working very hard to get the Executive to develop a real energy policy for Scotland--one which utilizes actual viable technology rather than the pointless onshore wind farms.
So, if we are successful, you'll be free to build your useless wind factory--but nobody will connect to it.
Time to the destroy the onshore wind scam by showing just how idiotic it is. If it puts the Comhairle in an awkward position, so much the better..
I've always had huge doubts about the Beauly-Denny connection ever being delivered. It was madness on the part of the previous Scottish Executive to allow planning applications for the windfarms without considering how to bring the power to market.
If Beauly-Denny is refused (or more likely is tied up in legal argument for years and years) then the windfarms won't be built without another connection, which is where the sub-sea cable comes into it's own.
BTW, who is 'we' who are lobbying the Executive? The pro-nuclear crowd?
Utilising only 'actual viable technology' condemns Scotland to never being innovative, but surviving on the developments of others. Personally, I want to see a lot of R&D in the renewable sector - some/much of which will not come to anything.
Lot's of "we" in here but then you post anonymously.
You seem so proud of your potential success why not advertise this and tell the world who "we" are.
Anon - oppose all renewable energy do you? Want to keep Lewis poor and under heel? I want work and a good standard of living.
'Local Boy':
I don't oppose a 'good standard of living' for anyone.
I DO oppose a useless technology which doesn't replace conventional generation at all, which destroys the environment, and which--based on the Danish experience--actually increase CO2 emissions. Are you in favor of that?
It's a scam, nothing more. If you lot want subsidy money, there are easier ways to get it than to sell out to AMEC and its lies.
Oh, yeah: I remain anonymous because in past I've been threatened by pro-wind fanatics. If it's all the same to you, I prefer to ensure that my family and I are safe...
poor, poor anon. Look at Angus if you want to see about harassment about windfarms.
another outsider telling us how to live our lives!!
still, at least it clear you oppose wave and tidal in favour of nuclear.
Anon (anti wind farm) I can't think why anyone would possibly want to challenge your eloquent style and considered debate.
You should run for Parliament, or are you friends with the blinkered fool that's just been elected up here?
Anon#1&2
"if you lot" !?! could to see you empathise with the local community.
i bet you were one of the many who have never lived here yet objected to the wind farm.
Give us £10M a year and the moors will be pristine.
Local Boy:
Listen, if you want subsidy handouts from your fellow taxpayers, just say so. But we are under NO obligation to pay you a damn thing, or to support a technology which doesn't work, and which is in fact merely a scam designed to line developers' pockets.
As one MSP eloquently put it last week, so-called 'community development funds' are merely bribes. Frankly, I was surpised and gratified to hear such refreshing candour. Ergo, we are seeing large-scale bribery of councils--no other way to put it--but the rest of us are not obliged to support interconnectors or anything else for these idiotic projects. We are in fact working to gain a coherent energy policy for Scotland--one which marginalizes the illegal Lewis wind schemes. As well, we're encouraging Brussels to investigate illegalities in building in SPAs as well. It's clear the Comhairle has been open to 'financial incentives to vote in a given fashion'--that alone warrants investigation.
Indeed, I'm advocating to my own MSP that ALL financial incentives,aka 'bribes' by developers be scrutinized, precisely because wind farms are a useless scam. The only reason they get built is because the developers induce councillors to vote the way they want, using 'financial incentives' to sway decisions their way.
Were this any other industry there'd be prosecutions by now....
Oh, yeah, wanted to clarify: I'm not accusing any particular persons/organisations of malfeasance, merely that at least one MSP believes these inducements are actually 'bribes' and bluntly characterized them as such.
If anyone disagrees with his assessment, I'd be interested to hear their line of reasoning, btw. But to my mind, when an interested party in a planning application offers financial incentives, no matter the end use, to obtain a favorable outcome, I'm not sure what else to call it.
A truly open planning process would expressly prohibit any such inducements/offers, and merely examine each application upon its own merits. It's okay to state that, eg, a wind farm would help the community by employing X locals, or that it would pay in X pounds in taxes each year. But it's NOT okay to promise to deliver loads of cash to councils for 'use by the community'--that creates an enormous conflict of interest, yes?
local boy - you make a good point it is mainly (though to be fair not all) incomers who want to keep the moors free of wind-farms -they have the crazy idea that they can visit once a year and still find the place as they left it - even though no money goes through local hands they quite like the idea of the locals being poor - it gives them the feeling of being rich and perhaps the doing of the occaisional good deed by donating money to such and such a cause - thus salving their concience. BUT we should not overlook the fact that we did (almost) the same in africa and South America and even Austrailia and NZ - not that that should salve their guilt but it should make us judge them less harsely!
"If Beauly-Denny is refused (or more likely is tied up in legal argument for years and years)..."
Yes, that's what we want to achieve.
"...then the windfarms won't be built without another connection, which is where the sub-sea cable comes into it's own.
We'll try to send that packing, as well. Windfarms are nothing but a scam, as is amply proven by Danish, German and Irish experience of them. It merely remains to educate people as to the extent of that scam.
BTW, who is 'we' who are lobbying the Executive? The pro-nuclear crowd?
No, the anti-windfarm crowd. We're in favor of technologies which actually work, rather than those which merely provide subsidy money to your area from other parts of the UK.
Utilising only 'actual viable technology' condemns Scotland to never being innovative,
The only technology one can use in any grid, anywhere, with any hope of success, is 'viable' technology. And clearly wind is not viable--never has been, out in the real world, and never will be. It's a scam; and those who promote it knowing it's a scam are snake-oil salesmen or worse. Those who promote it without having bothered to acquaint themselves with real-world facts are merely catspaws, which is nearly as bad.
Do you prefer 'non-viable technology', perhaps? Apparently so long as it APPEARS to do something, you're for it, even if wind farms don't actually replace any conventional generation whatever, don't reduce CO2, do destroy habitat, and do line developers' pockets.
Might I ask you to actually read about the real, actual experience of Germany, Denmark and Ireland? Try the Renewable Energy Foundation for a start, and National Wind Watch's Resource section for absolute floods of documentation by grid operators, electrical engineers, planning authorities, academics, and many others.
...but surviving on the developments of others. Personally, I want to see a lot of R&D in the renewable sector - some/much of which will not come to anything.
But meantime, we should throw money at non-viable technologies, apparently. This is your notion of a solution? Surely you jest.
Let's put you down as in favor of environmental destruction, expensive do-nothing technologies, overriding the wishes of the locals, and providing huge incomes to developers for exactly zero benefit to either the population, the economy or the planet. That should go over a treat with Hebrideans.
But hey: at least it all looks so 'green', at least if you believe the developer's nonsense.
Right? Right.
Anonymous above,
I don't want to see any proposal (Beauly-Denny, LWP or BMP) tied up for years - say yes or no, and everyone will have to deal with it.
We are faced with the option of investing to drive down the cost of renewable energy by finding new technologies that work, or allowing global warming to continue unabated.
As a comparison, I draw your attention to a previous discussion on the cost of energy saving bulbs, which are a lot cheaper than they used to be.
But if you had your way and we stuck to 'actual viable technologies' only, then they wouldn't be in the shops.
another crowd of anon do gooders telling us how to live our lives.
Right on Local Boy. Anon in all his disguises exemplifies the MWT stance. Dont live here, dont come here, dont disturb here.
The Raj mentality.
I would go one step further and say that anon is actually being libellous and if there is any way Angus for you to find out who / where this person is by their ip address then you should do so and report them. I'm sure the Comhairle has enough legal strength to raise an action.
If anon says this isn't libel then he should provide proof of bribes to the council and councillors. Don't have any? What a surprise.
local boy - i am almost sure you are right that they are incomers - there is nothing like the incomer to tell you where you are going
"wrong" let's face it for years the English have been telling us from afar what to do - the only difference now is that they have moved in next door!
'sunny side up' (what an ironic name): "I would go one step further and say that anon is actually being libellous and if there is any way Angus for you to find out who / where this person is by their ip address then you should do so and report them."
I was just waiting for someone to start an Inquisition, a Spanish one maybe.
If I didn't have a thick skin, I wouldn't have a blog that allowed (virtually unconstrained) public comment. No inquisition, and no comfy cushions.
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