SSEN have confirmed they will appeal Friday’s decision by Aberdeenshire Council to refuse planning permission for their proposed Hurlie substation.
Their plans for the construction and operation of a 400 kV air insulated substation along with associated works were first submitted through Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission Plc in December 2024.
A pre-determination hearing took place last November. This informed ensuing discussions at a special meeting of the Kincardine and Mearns Area Committee on January 13. At this meeting, the members arrived at ‘no settled position’.
The final, nail-biting determination was made last Friday at a marathon meeting of a divided Infrastructure Services Committee, chaired by Cllr Alan Turner. His casting vote reflected his concerns for the impact on the landscape of the substation and other proposed electrical infrastructure – the plans were refused permission.
Substation appeal in the pipeline
An SSEN Transmission spokesperson said: “We are disappointed by this decision, which goes against the recommendation of the Council’s planning team and the decision made by key agencies not to object. The project has been developed in line with all relevant policies and legislation, balancing community and environmental considerations with technical and economic factors.
“The Hurlie 400kV substation represents a critical step towards securing clean, affordable power, while supporting local jobs and businesses and delivering substantial long-term benefits.
“We remain committed to working constructively with stakeholders and communities and will now review the decision, with a view to lodging an appeal.”
The Bellman understands the appeal will lodged in the normal manner with the Scottish Government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals Division.
Associated Overhead Line
SSEN are not faring well in their efforts to deliver the infrastructure required to export electricity generated by offshore developments licensed in the 2022 Scotwind round orchestrated by the Scottish Government – and relied on by Holyrood to meet their net zero targets.
Following Angus Council’s objection to the proposed Kintore To Tealing 400Kv Overhead Line Connection, this application first made to the Energy Consents Unit also now sits with the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division.
According to their website: ”The Scottish Ministers have directed the inquiry be held into the objecting authority’s area being Angus Council. This case has been allocated to two reporters. The reporters will look at the documents and submissions, and will consider what further procedures are necessary in order to consider this case. Documents will be published shortly. Further details will be forthcoming in due course.”