EXPLAINED: Why are Highland communities protesting about super-pylons?
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To some, they are objects of hate, metallic monstrosities scything through the countryside in great ugly swathes.
To others, or at least to an eccentric few such as members of England’s Pylon Appreciation Society, they are iconic, wondrous structures of skeletal beauty.
Somewhere in between, a sizeable majority tend to dislike but tolerate pylon lines – that is, until they march past their own homes
Even the green lobby can be split as protection of natural habitats and beautiful landscapes is pitted against efforts to decarbonise the UK economy, hit net-zero targets and fight climate change.
Pylons, at least to those who give them much of a thought, can be accepted as a fact of life and necessary evil.
But for those who find themselves in the shadows of the giant steel lattice towers, they are often seen as vandalising nature, obliterating views and bringing health and noise pollution with them for good measure.
What are super-pylons?
The world’s tallest pylon, built in China in 2019, stands at an awe-inspiring 1,246ft (380m) - four times the height of London's Big Ben.
By comparison, Scotland’s super-pylons rise more modestly.
At heights of up to 65 metres (213ft), they still dominate the skyline – reaching just lower than the top of Stirling’s Wallace Monument.
The UK's first was erected in Bonnyfield near Falkirk in 1928, a year after they began to become commonplace in Europe and America.
The electricity grid became a truly national system in 1938 and increasing numbers have been built in the same design – and to greater heights – ever since.
As demand for electricity surges, super-pylon lines are seen by governments and energy companies as critical infrastructure, the arteries directing a lifeblood of green, renewable energy to where it is needed most.
To those who live in their shadows, or pass by them daily, they can seem the very antithesis of “green”.
Why are they back in the news?
Running roughly 170 km from Caithness, through Easter Ross, into Inverness-shire, the Spittal – Loch Buidhe – Beauly 400kV line will link with the existing Beauly to Denny line and with another proposed 190 km Beauly to Peterhead line.
With the deadline for initial public consultation for Spittal-Beauly now at a close, there has been an initial wave of shock, anger and public opposition.
People have seen the structures and substations pencilled in for placement beside their homes, through local woodland, across picturesque hillsides and sensitive areas of natural beauty.
Protestors have accused Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) of going through the motions during consultation and viewing permission for the project as a formality.
The energy giant, meanwhile, has claimed it is simply gathering early views on the project, with no set route determined.
Meanwhile, they also claim some of their own staff have been subject to threats and abuse during the consultations.
As well as those horrified by the prospect of giant pylons skirting their properties, a massive new 400 kV substation development potentially sited at Fanellan, on Lovat Estate lands, is illustrative of what else accompanies super-pylon lines.
One of the building options would create an industrial site almost half a mile long, situated on land near previously serene and idyllic rural homes.
As well as the super-pylons, there would be extensive ground works and many miles of access roads, slicing through woodland and other scenic areas along the whole route, with a significant impact on landscape and ecology.
Walkers and climbers could see the classic views to and from Ben Wyvis altered by the preferred route, with pylons skirting the southern foothills.
What seems certain is that the project – part of SSEN’s £7 billion ‘pathway to 2030’ upgrade of UK energy infrastructure in the north of Scotland – is not going to pass quietly.
What do the protestors say?
People in the Beauly area have formed the group Communities B4 Power Companies.
Steve Byford, chairman of Kilmorack Community Council, said: “It’s totally unacceptable. The consultation is not really a consultation. Will it really change anything?
“I don’t think people realise just how bad it’s going to be if it gets the go ahead.”
Annette George (53), a disabled woman who lives at Upper Wester Fanellan, would gaze directly out at the new substation.
She said: “At the public meeting, people were shocked, angry and some were visibly upset.
“It is hard to grasp until you see the sheer scale of it. On the 3D images, our home looked like a little Monopoly house with this giant monstrosity behind it.”
Lyndsey Ward, who lives at Breakachy, would see her home towered over by super pylons.
Mrs Ward said: “The Beauly to Denny line is a monument to environmental vandalism, yet SSEN think that more transmission lines impacting the same area is acceptable.
“Aside from very worrying health issues of living near high power electricity transmission, the footprint of these super-sized pylons and substations is immense.
“Having gained a full insight into the scale of what they’re planning, it has rocked the community back on its heels.”
Elaine Hodgson, another member of the campaign group, said: “Not enough people are aware of the enormity of what SSEN is proposing. Both the Westminster and Holyrood governments are prepared to sacrifice the Highlands by enabling SSEN to trash the land and destroy habitats
“We are the ones living under a grid of pylons and beside substations 30 times the size of a football pitch.”
Where have we heard this fuss before?
It is now 16 years since the launch of Scotland’s then-longest and most expensive public inquiry.
At the heart of it was a plan to create a new 137-mile, 400 kV overhead power line running from Beauly to Denny near Falkirk.
Outrage was expressed at the sheer scale and height of the pylon lines proposed, as well as the planned route through areas of wilderness and great natural beauty.
One of the voices of opposition at the time likened the scheme to taking a razor blade to a Rembrandt.
The facts and figures surrounding the inquiry are almost as eye-watering as the pylons’ proposed height.
It began on February 6, 2007 and by the time it was finished 11 months later, it had cost over £10 million, with 17,295 objections lodged and 300 witnesses called over 105 days in Inverness, Newtonmore, Perth and Stirling.
Similar arguments raged, with supporters saying the power line was crucial for the future of the renewables industry in Scotland and to take power from Highland wind farms and other green energy developments south.
Opponents pointed to the scale of destruction of scenery and natural habitats.
Approval was given in 2010 and the line became fully operational in 2015.
Why not take the lines underground?
Opponents query why, given huge energy company profits, extra spending cannot be made to take the lines underground.
In parts of Europe and in at least 26 countries worldwide, undergrounding of transmission lines has been pursued to minimise environmental impact in sensitive areas.
Proponents view it as mitigating many of the environmental ills, with land recovering from installation within a few years.
Undergrounding is more expensive, but with vast profits to be made from renewable energy for decades to come, is the extra investment not worth it?
SSEN insists there are more pressing reasons than simple finance for not pursuing undergrounding, including “a number of environmental, technical, and operational constraints” associated with undergrounding at extra high voltages, particularly at 400 kV.
These “make this option extremely challenging to deliver in many areas of Scotland”, with underground cabling highly sensitive to ground conditions and terrain.
SSEN’s policy statement adds: “There can be significant and lasting environmental impacts and future land use constraints associated with undergrounding, together with the technical challenges of operating, maintaining and restoring power in the event of a fault.
“It is also acknowledged that undergrounding is considerably more expensive, both to install and maintain, the costs of which will be borne by GB consumers.”
What else does SSEN say?
The Beauly – Denny line is said to have supported 2000 jobs, as well as opening up new wind energy potential across the Highlands and Islands.
The new lines from Beauly to Spittal and Peterhead would have a comparable economic impact as part of a UK-wide programme of works that are required to meet UK and Scottish Government 2030 renewable targets.
A spokeswoman for SSEN Transmission said: “We remain fully committed to work closely with the local community and wider stakeholders to help inform our design and it is important to note that the project remains in the early stages of development and no specific overhead line route alignments have been identified.
“We would like to thank everyone who has contributed their feedback to the project consultation so far, this feedback will be carefully considered as we further refine our proposals.
“While the project consultation period closed on Friday April 14, our engagement will be on-going.
“We will be working closely with the local community and stakeholders, seeking their input throughout the development of the project.”
What happens next?
SSEN says that what it has consulted on so far is at the very early stages.
It is looking at potential routes and getting feedback about specific locations, environmental designations, areas of historical interest, and other areas of concern to assess what they can do in mitigation.
The company says the next stages are all about what they can do to refine those routes and look for a “potential alignment” that best navigates topography, proximity to existing infrastructure, settlements and environmental designations.
Analysis using “optioneering software” will be carried out to that end before fresh consultation on what the company feels is “buildable alignments” which will be put back out to the community.
The target is to have a finalised submission towards the end of 2024.
Where do I find out more?
SSEN’s plans for the Spittal to Beauly transmission route are laid out in full here (see project updates and project documents).
More information on projects planned elsewhere in Scotland can be searched here.
The protest group Communities B4 power Companies sets out its case here.
