This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Reports of likely windfarm development 'overstated'
14/02/2005
The amount of windfarms in Scotland needed to meet
renewable energy targets will not match the "vastly
exaggerated" reports appearing in the press, the Forum for
Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) pledged
today.
FREDS chairman and Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace
said reports outlining all the applications in Scotland
were simply scaremongering and ignored the facts.
At the last meeting of the group it was made clear that
a great deal of the existing applications were either
speculative or would not meet the high standards of the
Scottish Executive's planning guidelines.
And it was explained that the large increase in the
number of applications towards the end of last year was due
to a change in the terms for connecting to the national
grid that came into force on January 1st 2005. It was also
made clear that Scotland's energy needs would be best met
through a full mix of renewable energy technologies.
Mr Wallace said:
"Reports suggesting the massive proliferation of
windfarms across Scotland are simply nonsense. It is true
that a large number of applications are in the system, but
a great deal of these will not meet our stringent planning
regulations. These are designed to protect our countryside,
wildlife and natural habitats and this is exactly what they
will do.
"We have ambitious targets, but I am confident 40 per
cent of our electricity will come from renewable sources by
2020. If we are to achieve this goal we will need new
windfarms, but on nowhere near the scale often quoted in
the press. We have seen an increase in the amount of
applications to connect to the grid. However, this is more
to do with a change in the terms of connecting to the UK
system rather than an accurate reflection of the amount of
windfarms that are likely to be built in Scotland.
"Both FREDS and the Executive are committed to ensuring
that only those wind farms that meet our rigorous planning
guidelines proceed. These developments will play a crucial
role in helping to cut harmful emissions. Scotland must
stand up and be counted in the battle against climate
change. I believe overwhelming numbers of people in
Scotland share that aim. However, schemes that come at an
unacceptable environmental cost will be rejected - and
rightly so. There will not be a windfarm on every hill in
Scotland. On the contrary, windfarms will be developed only
where it is right to do so and where stringent planning
regulations allow.
"Our priorities must be to carefully support the
development of on-shore wind energy in the right locations
while continuing to maintain the confidence of investors in
new renewable energy technologies. Wave, tidal, biomass and
solar energy will all have an important role to play in
achieving our 2020 target and we must support the industry
every step of the way as these emerging technologies
develop."
FREDS member Sandy Cumming, chief executive of Highlands
and Islands Enterprise, said:
"With some of the best wind, wave and tidal resources in
Europe and abundant wood fuel supplies, the Highlands and
Islands have a major role to play in the emerging renewable
energy industry. It is a sector with the potential to bring
real and sustainable benefit to the area's economy while
playing a key role in helping Scotland as a whole tackle
the problem of climate change.
"But, environmental cost and planning regulations will
always be central to our considerations as we seek to make
the most of these opportunities."
And FREDS member Ian Marchant, Chief Executive of
Scottish and Southern Energy, added:
"Fulfilling Scotland's renewable energy potential is
not only vital for 'green' reasons but also to maximise the
amount of energy we can source from within our own country.
The current policy framework provides enough safeguards to
ensure that only good wind farm developments get the
go-ahead. It also ensures that there is a climate of
confidence which encourages companies in Scotland and
elsewhere in the UK to invest time, effort and money in
developing the new generation technologies which, with the
right support, will mature over the coming decade."
Fellow FREDS member, Rob Forrest, Director of Scottish
Renewables said:
"The renewables industry has responded to the
challenge of delivering the Executive's 18% renewables
target so Scotland can tackle climate change and create new
employment. FREDS is clear that the planning system has the
necessary tools to deliver the right renewables projects
for Scotland, and we welcome this positive debate on how
renewables can help to meet Scotland's future energy
needs".
Jim Wallace is Chairman of FREDS - the forum brings
together representatives from the Scottish Executive, local
authorities, the Enterprise Networks, the new renewables
industry, the established energy industry, academia and
other stakeholders.
FREDS has made this statement following the major
increase in the number of new applications for connection
to Scotland's electricity transmission system by wind farm
developers in the final quarter of 2004. This increase
followed the announcement by the Department of Trade and
Industry and Ofgem that any developer submitting a valid
application for a connection to the electricity
transmission system before or on 1 January 2005 would
receive an offer that would 'not be contingent' upon
development work relating to the Scotland-England
interconnector or other parts of the transmission system in
England and Wales.
Investment in renewable sources of energy is encouraged
by the Renewables Obligation, which provides an incentive
for generators to produce progressively higher levels of
renewable energy, up to certain targets. The Obligation is
designed in such a way that when targets for renewable
energy are achieved its value falls away. This
market-based mechanism effectively puts a commercial cap on
renewable energy developments. The electricity
transmission companies' strategy for developing the network
in Great Britain was founded on there being between 2,000MW
and 6,000MW of additional renewable generation in Scotland
by 2010. However, in practice, the availability of
connections to the electricity network is likely to mean
that the higher end of this range is unlikely to be
reached.
The target of 18% renewables generation by 2010 now
looks likely to be met by a combination of the c.1,150 MW
of hydro power already in place and the c.1,250 MW of wind
generation already consented, of which about 300 MW is
already in operation. Even if all of the 40% 2020 target
were to be met by onshore wind, a scenario which the
Executive does not envisage, then only around a further
4,000 MW of installed wind capacity would be required. This
compares to the 20,000 MW of onshore wind proposals,
referred to in recent media reports.