CAMPAIGNERS are asking North-east residents to make sure their voice is heard on the proposed pylon route between Kintore and Tealing before the public consultation period ends on Monday.
SSEN Transmission submitted their Section 37 consent application to Scottish Ministers last month for their plans to install approximately 105km of new 400kV overhead line with steel lattice tower supports measuring up to 71.67m .
SSEN describe the project as a key component in the electricity transmission network owner’s ‘Pathway to 2030’ investment programme, where it expects to invest at least £22bn in the period to March 2031.
Part of the required infrastructure in the proposed substation at Hurlie in Fetteresso Forest – these plans are the subject of a separate planning application to Aberdeenshire Council, which has seen 2281 letters of representation including a petition by Save our Mearns with over 1100 signatures.
Campaigners have prepared a template letter
Kate Matthews told The Bellman many people may feel they had made their objection by commenting on the Hurlie substation proposals – but she urged them to write again, this time to the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit to record their comments on the proposed overhead line.
To make life as easy as possible, the Save our Mearns co-founder said the campaigners have used an artificial intelligence tool to provide a template letter.
She said: ”It is hard writing a letter about a project you don’t like but don’t understand properly. Everything we have researched over the past two years is in this tool which you can find at Stopthepylons.object.now”
Ms Matthews said Save our Mearns have identified safety concerns including unsafe clearance between the sag height of lines and modern farming equipment, and overlap with gas pipelines. She said SSEN had acknowledged some of these concerns but had not re-designed their proposals for safety.
”That is unlawful,” she said.
Fighting Goliath
Ms Matthews likened the campaigners’ battle to David’s biblical fight.
”I think we are fighting Goliath,” she said.
”The Scottish Government have a trajectory they want to follow and SSEN have their trajectory to follow.”
”But we have arguments that will be very difficult to dismiss. There is a depth of knowledge across the North-east about pipelines and energy infrastructure.”
She added: ”They have picked a battle with the wrong people.”
