STONEHAVEN and District Community Council, SDCC, have lodged an objection to Thistle Wind Partners’ plans for onshore infrastructure associated with their proposed Bowdun Offshore Wind Farm – including a substation adjacent to SSEN’s proposed Hurlie substation in Fetteresso Forest.
No-one can dispute the scale of proposed electrical infrastructure at Stonehaven’s Fetteresso Forest.
SSEN’s application through Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission Plc, for the construction and operation of a 400 kV air insulated substation along with associated works at Hurlie is to be determined on Friday by Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee.
Two substations side by side
Meanwhile, Thistle Wind Partners, who won their zone in the 2022 Scotwind leasing round, are developing the Bowdun Offshore Wind Farm 38km off our coast – with an installed capacity of up to 1008 MW.
They are now making an application for planning permission in principal for the infrastructure needed in their project to take that electricity to the National Grid.
Their proposals would see the electricity produced by 40 – 60 turbines making landfall near Benholm then travel by underground cables to a new substation at Fetteresso Forest. This substation would contain the components for transforming the power from 220/275 kV up to 400 kv before connecting to the National Grid via the proposed Hurlie substation just 250m distant.
Cumulative impact of two substations
In their letter of objection, SDCC highlight their concerns at the cummulative impact of two large substation projects.
In January 2025 SDCC conducted a survey to gauge local opinion on the proposed SSEN Hurlie Substation.
Their letter of objection states: ”69% of respondents were concerned about the proposed SSEN Hurlie Substation (and the associated 400kV OHL) being the first step to unlocking much larger industrial development of the area – in this instance the Bowdun Project Substation.”
SDCC add: ”It would seem highly probable that the Bowdun Wind Farm Project Substation would further add to the intensification of impact on our local landscape character. Policy 11(e)(ii) of NPF4 requires that development proposals which give rise to significant landscape and visual impacts, must demonstrate that these impacts, including cumulative effects with other developments, have been appropriately assessed and effectively mitigated.”
Full details of Thistle Wind Partners’ proposals are available online – along with a facility to make comment.