Public to have say on burying power lines at Highland beauty spots
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AN electricity giant is plugging into people power to decide which beauty spots will have overhead cables buried underground.
Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution (SHEPD) is urging the public to nominate what power lines running across officially designated scenic areas that they would like to see buried underground.
The six-month consultation is to identify only 30 miles (48km) of its Scottish overhead distribution network in National Parks and National Scenic Areas that can be buried.
They include north visitor hotspots Glen Affric, Glen Strathfarrar, Wester Ross and the Cairngorm mountains.
The £5.5 million project will give the public, authority groups and charities the opportunity to nominate sections normally carried on wooden poles.
The move was given a guarded welcome by Jo Cumming who took part in the unsuccessful battle against the mega pylons on the Beauly to Denny line as a member of Cairngorm Revolt Against Pylons.
She said: "On the face of it an encouraging offer, however I am sceptical about how much they really are prepared to put underground.
"As the Beauly-Denny enquiry progressed it appeared more and more as a done deal and a waste of time and money.
"However, living in a democracy we have to try, otherwise the powers that be just dictate what happens.
"While under grounding may be more expensive initially there are others who have found that the long term maintenance is cheaper than overground. But the initial expense may increase costs and reduce shareholder value."
Wild land preservation charity the John Muir Trust also gave the move a cautious welcome but said it had to be seen against the "severe visual impacts of large scale windfarms and associated infrastructure such as the Beauly-Denny line" with its massive pylons.
Their spokesman hoped the scheme would lead to more land restoration being considered by the power company.
He added: "We welcome this initiative by SSE, which explicitly recognises the importance of landscape.
"We have always argued that built infrastructure needs to be carefully sited to avoid disfiguring and fragmenting our landscape and habitats, so we’d encourage the public to get involved with this consultation.
"At the same time, we recognise the limitations of this scheme, especially in the light of the severe visual impacts of large scale windfarms and associated infrastructure such as the Beauly to Denny line."
SHEPD is responsible for maintaining the electricity networks supplying around 750,000 homes and businesses in the Highlands and Islands.
The cost to underground the overhead sections can vary due to the voltage, length of circuit and geography.
Kirstine Wood, SHEPD stakeholder engagement manager, said: "We want our customers to play an important role in deciding which areas we consider for undergrounding.
"Overhead power lines are vital to ensure a safe, reliable and cost effective electricity network. However, we understand people feel they can have a detrimental impact on the views of the natural environment. To help address this concern we are launching a programme of undergrounding overhead lines in National Parks and National Scenic Areas."
To nominate an area people need to complete a form on SHEPD’s website. Submissions will require a photograph of the suggested area to show the current impact the overhead line causes.
Ms Wood added: "We cannot guarantee all nominations will be selected but we will consider every submission and we will speak with everybody to explain our decisions."
North areas for consideration include: Glen Affric, Glen Strathfarrar, Wester Ross, Cairngorm mountains, Ben Nevis and Glen Coe, Loch Shiel, Morar, Moidart and Ardnamurchan, Knoydart, Kintail, the Cullins, Trotternish on Skye, and the Dornoch Firth.
