Strathy South Wind Farm

STRATHY SOUTH WIND FARM ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT VOLUME 2 – WRITTEN STATEMENT JUNE 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction 2 Background 3 Site Selection 4 Development Description 5 Environmental Impact Assessment 6 Site Context 7 Planning Context 8 Landscape 9 Visual Assessment 10 Ecology 11 Birds 12 Noise 13 Cultural Heritage 14 Soil and Water 15 Roads and Traffic 16 Other Issues 17 Summary 1. INTRODUCTION TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.1 Overview_______________________________________________________________ 1 1.2 Legislative Context ______________________________________________________ 1 1.3 The Applicant___________________________________________________________ 1 1.4 The Environmental Statement _____________________________________________ 2 1.4.1 Development Proposals Considered __________________________________________________2 1.4.2 Structure _______________________________________________________________________3 1.4.3 EIA team_______________________________________________________________________4 STRATHY SOUTH WIND FARM ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 OVERVIEW Scottish and Southern Energy has identified and evaluated a potential wind farm site at Strathy South forest block (hereafter referred to as Strathy South) near Strathy in Sutherland (Figure 1.1). This Environmental Statement presents the findings of the Environmental Impact Assessment process which has informed the project’s planning and design and details the findings of the assessment of the development proposals which form the subject of an application for consent to construct and operate the wind farm. The proposal forms part of Scottish and Southern Energy’s response to the Renewables Obligation, which came into effect in April 2002 and has the objective of providing a market stimulus for increasing the proportion of renewable energy within the UK’s energy mix. The Renewables Obligation, in turn, forms an important component of a wider strategy that aims to combat climate change. 1.2 LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT The application to construct and operate the wind farm is being made under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, and will be determined by The Scottish Ministers in consultation with The Highland Council. The application is also subject to the Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2000 (the EIA Regulations). The requirements of the EIA Regulations are described in Chapter 5. 1.3 THE APPLICANT Scottish and Southern Energy plc is a FTSE-100 company, formed in 1999 from the merger of Scottish Hydro-Electric plc and Southern Electric plc. The company is headquartered in Perth, and employs around 12, 300 people in the group. Core activities include the generation and supply, and transmission and distribution of electricity. Other activities include gas storage, operation of a telecoms network, supply of gas, retail shops and utility contracting. The company has a market capitalisation of around £11.4 billion, and supplies over 7 million energy customers from Shetland to the Isle of Wight under the Scottish Hydro-Electric, Southern Electric, Swalec and Atlantic supply brands. The Company is co-owner of Scotia Gas Networks, which owns and operates the ‘Scotland’ and ‘South of England’ regional gas distribution networks. The gas network business employs around a further 5,000 staff. The applicant for the current proposal, SSE Generation Limited, owns and operates the power generation assets of the company, which total nearly 10,000MW. The generation portfolio comprises renewables (hydro, wind and biomass) and thermal power stations (gas, coal and oil). Scottish and Southern Energy has an extensive infrastructure in Scotland, including 77 hydro power stations, 98 dams and 78 reservoirs with associated tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts, a 1,520MW gas fired power station at Peterhead, and various diesel power stations on the islands. The electricity transmission and distribution network of overhead lines and underground and submarine cables extends to 124,000km. This network is operated by the regulated Power Systems division of the company, which recently completed a five-year investment programme of £500 million to refurbish the network to improve security of supply. Page 1- 1 SCOTTISH AND SOUTHERN ENERGY PLC STRATHY SOUTH WIND FARM ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT Scottish and Southern Energy is the UK’s leading generator and supplier of renewable energy supplying around 40% of the UK total capacity. The majority of this renewable output is from hydro plant. The company was also involved in the early development of wind power in the UK, with experimental turbines at Burghar Hill on the Orkney Islands, and Sussetter Hill on the Shetland Islands. Recent new renewable projects include hydro schemes at Cuileig, near Ullapool, and Kingairloch, west of Fort William; and windfarms at Tangy in Kintyre, Spurness in Orkney, Hadyard Hill in South Ayrshire and Artfield Fell, Dumfries. The Company has invested in emerging renewable energy technology and now has interests in companies developing and promoting tidal energy devices and domestic scale wind turbines and solar energy. SSE is also working with Talisman, a substantial Canadian oil company, on the development of the first deep-water off-shore wind farm located north east of the Beatrice oilfield in the Moray Firth. If successful, this could have an output up to 1,000 MW. The current proposal forms part of the Company’s ongoing renewables investment programme. 1.4 THE ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT 1.4.1 Development proposals considered The Environmental Statement considers the key elements of the proposed development (which is described in detail in Chapter 4), including: • wind turbines • foundations • tracks • crane hardstandings • cables • anemometers • control building • borrow pits • any necessary modifications to the public roads • forestry clearance • temporary construction facilities • construction activities • operational activities • decommissioning The windfarm will connect to existing high voltage transmission systems through new transmission connection assets. Consequently National Grid is the lead organisation for the off- site grid connection, and it will submit any applications or request necessary permissions. Hence, although preliminary details of the likely routeing of the grid connection are provided, its environmental effects are not considered as part of this Environmental Statement. The physical process of decommissioning per se has been excluded from the scope of the assessment on the basis that this would be of a similar nature to construction, but on a smaller Page 1- 2 SCOTTISH AND SOUTHERN ENERGY PLC STRATHY SOUTH WIND FARM ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT scale and over a shorter time period. However, the results of the decommissioning process (e.g. reinstatement) have been taken into account. 1.4.2 Structure The Environmental Statement comprises four separately bound documents: • Volume 1 - the Non Technical Summary • Volume 2 - the Environmental Statement (Written Statement) • Volume 3 - the Volume of Figures (plans, illustrations and photographs referred to in the Written Statement) • Volume 4 – the Volume of Appendices The remainder of Volume 2, the Written Statement is structured as follows: Chapter 2 outlines the background to the development in terms of renewable energy policy, and explains why wind energy (along with others) has been selected from alternative technologies. Chapter 3 outlines why Strathy North has been selected as one of a number of potential wind farm sites identified during consideration of a wider range of alternative sites. Chapter 4 describes the principal elements involved in the construction, operation and decommissioning of the preferred proposal for Strathy North. It also describes alternative planning and design approaches considered during the development of the specific proposal for Strathy North. Chapter 5 outlines the requirements of the EIA Regulations, and explains the process undertaken in this case. Chapter 6 provides an overview of the existing locational and environmental context of the site Chapter 7 outlines the main planning guidance and policies and plans relevant to the proposed development and site. Chapters 8 to 16 report the assessment of environmental effects under the following headings: • Landscape Character • Visual Impact • Ecology • Birds • Noise • Cultural Heritage • Soil and Water • Roads and Traffic • Other issues: • Air and Climate • Telecommunications and Aviation • Recreation and Tourism • Social and Economic Page 1- 3 SCOTTISH AND SOUTHERN ENERGY PLC STRATHY SOUTH WIND FARM ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT • Chapter 17 summarises the findings of the Environmental Impact Assessment 1.4.3 EIA team The Environmental Statement has been compiled by Scottish and Southern Energy with advice and assistance from environmental consultants, ASH design + assessment. The team identified in Table 1.1 undertook specialist assessments. Table 1.1 The EIA project team Planning Ash design + assessment Landscape Character Ash design + assessment Visual Impact Ash design + assessment Ecology Ecology UK Ltd Birds Ecology UK Ltd Noise Hayes MacKenzie Ltd Cultural heritage CFA Archaeology Ltd Soil and water Mouchel Parkman Ewan Ltd Roads and traffic Halcrow Group Ltd Air and climate SSE Generation Ltd Telecommunications and aviation SSE Generation Ltd Recreation and tourism Ash design + assessment Social and economic Ash design + assessment Page 1- 4 SCOTTISH AND SOUTHERN ENERGY PLC 13 CULTURAL HERITAGE TABLE OF CONTENTS 13.1 Introduction___________________________________________________________

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