Glencassley Wind Farm Scoping Report August 2019 Contents Executive Summary 1 1 Introduction 3 1.1 Background Information 3 1.2 Purpose of this Report 3 1.3 Need for Onshore Wind in Scotland 4 1.4 The Applicant 5 2 Consultation 6 2.1 Scoping Stage Consultation 6 2.2 EIA Consultation 7 2.3 Public Exhibitions 7 3 The Proposed Development 8 3.1 Introduction 8 3.2 Site Design 8 3.3 Site Description 9 3.4 Electrical Layout and Grid Connection 9 3.5 Site Access 9 3.6 Project Construction 10 3.7 Project Operation and Maintenance 10 3.8 Project Decommissioning 10 4 Planning Policy Context 11 4.1 Introduction 11 4.2 National Planning Policy 11 4.3 Local Planning Policy 11 5 Proposed Approach to EIA 13 5.1 The Overall Approach to the EIA 13 5.2 Structure of the EIA Report 14 5.3 EIA Report Format 14 5.4 Supporting Documents 14 6 Environmental Features 16 6.1 Introduction 16 6.2 Landscape and Visual 16 6.3 Ecology, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation 20 6.4 Ornithology 23 6.5 Hydrology, Geology and Hydrogeology 25 6.6 Cultural Heritage 27 Glencassley Wind Farm Scoping Report August 2019 6.7 Traffic, Access and Transport 28 6.8 Noise and Vibration 29 6.9 Aviation 30 6.10 Carbon Assessment 31 6.11 Socio-Economic 31 6.12 Schedule of Mitigation 31 7 Recommended Features to be Scoped Out 32 7.1 Forestry 32 7.2 Air Quality 32 7.3 Shadow Flicker 32 7.4 Ice Throw 33 7.5 Telecommunications, TV and Radio Links 33 7.6 Climate Change 33 7.7 Human Health 33 7.8 Risk of Major Accidents and / or Disasters 34 8 References 35 9 Glossary 38 Figures Figure 1: Location Plan Figure 2: Proposed Development Area Figure 3: Landscape and Cultural Heritage Constraints Figure 4: Natural Heritage Constraints Figure 5: Proposed Viewpoints Figure 6: Vantage Point Locations for the Bird Flight Activity Survey Glencassley Wind Farm Scoping Report August 2019 Executive Summary Overview SSE Renewables Developments (UK) Limited, “the Developer” is preparing an application on behalf of “the Applicant”, SSE Generation Ltd (SSEG), for Glencassley Wind Farm (the ‘Proposed Development’), located on Glencassley and Glenrossal Estates near Lairg, Sutherland, in the Highlands. The Application will be made to Scottish Ministers under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 and associated deemed planning permission sought under Section 57(2) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. An application to construct and operate a 26 turbine wind farm and associated works on Glencassley Estate was submitted to the Scottish Governments Energy Consents Unit (ECU) in 2012 (the ‘2012 application’). The Highland Council North Planning Applications Committee recommended to raise no objection to this application in 2013, however, it was refused by Scottish Ministers in 2015, in respect of impacts on the National Scenic Area (NSA) and on wild land. As the site offers excellent potential for a wind farm, the Applicant proposes to review and optimise the design, taking previous concerns into consideration to deliver sustainable, subsidy free renewable energy. Wind turbine technology has evolved significantly since the 2012 application, meaning that more productive and efficient turbines can be considered. It is proposed to relocate the development further from the north-western area of the site, towards the operational Achany and Rosehall Wind Farms (see Figure 2: Proposed Development Area). The installed capacity and turbine dimensions would be dependent on environmental and technical considerations, however, it is anticipated that the turbine tip height would be greater than 150m, delivering an installed capacity in excess of 50 MW. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report will be required to accompany the application for consent. This Scoping Report forms part of the EIA process and is provided to the ECU under Regulation 12 of the Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 (the EIA Regulations) in support of a request for a Scoping Opinion. Glencassley Wind Farm Page 1 Scoping Report August 2019 Response to the Scoping Report Responses to this Scoping Report should be directed to the ECU to ensure all responses are collated and included within the Scoping Opinion. Responses should be directed to: Email: [email protected] OR Energy Consents Unit Scottish Government 5 Atlantic Quay 150 Broomielaw Glasgow, G2 8LU When submitting a response to the Scoping Report, the Applicant would be grateful if you could also send a copy of your response to the address below: Email to: [email protected] OR For the Attention of Murray West SSE - 1 Waterloo Street, Glasgow, G2 6AY Glencassley Wind Farm Page 2 Scoping Report August 2019 1 Introduction 1.1 Background Information SSE Generation Ltd (SSEG), “the Applicant”, is proposing to construct a new onshore wind farm to generate renewable electricity from wind power. The proposed development is located within the Glencassley and Glenrossal Estates, situated between the River Cassley and Loch Shin near Lairg, Sutherland in the Highlands (see Figure 1: Location Plan). The proposals for which consent under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 will be sought by the Applicant, are referred to in this report as ‘the Proposed Development’ and are described below. The application for Section 36 consent is being prepared by SSE Renewables Developments (UK) Limited (SSE Renewables), “the Developer”, on behalf of the Applicant. An application to construct and operate a 26 turbine wind farm and associated works within the Glencassley Estate was submitted to the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit (ECU) in July 2012 (hereafter referred to as the ‘2012 application’). Despite support from The Highland Council, the 2012 application was ultimately refused by the Scottish Ministers in 2015, primarily due to impacts on wild land. As the site offers excellent potential for a wind farm development due to its wind resource and proximity to existing wind development, the Applicant proposes to review and optimise the design of the wind farm, taking into consideration concerns previously raised about the prominence and proximity of turbines in views from the nearby Assynt Coigach National Scenic Area (NSA) and to core areas of wild land. Initial site optimisation design would focus on a proposed development area to the southern end of the 2012 site, closer to the operational Achany and Rosehall Wind Farms (see Figure 2: Proposed Development Area). Following a review of previous concerns and preliminary technical analysis, it is anticipated that an installed capacity in excess of 50 MW could be achieved in the proposed development area (see Figure 2: Proposed Development Area). This would be subject to further technical and environmental review throughout the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. An EIA Report will be required to accompany the Section 36 Application under the Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 (“the EIA Regulations”), as the Proposed Development comprises a wind farm with a generation capacity greater than 50 MW and for which Section 36 consent is required. It is therefore considered to fall within the definition of Schedule 2 development contained in Regulation 2(1) of the EIA Regulations. The Developer has voluntarily agreed to prepare an EIA Report in accordance with the EIA Regulations, rather than requesting a Screening Opinion. In terms of the application for Section 36 consent, deemed planning permission under Section 57 (2) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, as amended, will also be sought. 1.2 Purpose of this Report This Scoping Report forms part of the EIA process and is provided to the ECU of the Scottish Government under Regulation 12 of the Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 (the EIA Regulations) in support of a request for a Scoping Opinion. The scoping process allows statutory consultees and others to comment on the Proposed Development, the scope of the EIA and the proposed assessment methodologies. It also provides an opportunity for consultees to raise any issues that they consider to be relevant to the EIA process. Glencassley Wind Farm Page 3 Scoping Report August 2019 The aims of this document are to: set out the overall approach to the EIA; summarise key baseline information; describe the proposed assessment methodology; identify key potential effects at all stages of development; identify topics not requiring further assessment that can be scoped out; and describe the proposed content and structure of the EIA Report. The document is divided into eight sections: Section 1: introduces the Proposed Development and provides a context for the Scoping Report; Section 2: summarises the consultation input; Section 3: describes the Proposed Development; Section 4: outlines the planning policy context; Section 5: provides information on the approach to EIA and the structure of the EIA Report; Section 6: details the environmental features to be assessed as part of the EIA; Section 7: describes those environmental features that are proposed to be scoped out of the EIA; and Section 8: provides a list of references. 1.3 Need for Onshore Wind in Scotland The Climate Change Act 2008 is the basis for the UK’s approach to tackling and responding to climate change. The Act commits the UK government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% of 1990 levels by 20501. There are separate climate change policies for each devolved administration. In Scotland, The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 received Royal Assent in August 2009. The Act commits Scotland to a 42% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and annual reductions between 2010 and 2050. On 28th April 2019, the First Minister declared a climate emergency. Following this declaration, the Scottish Government has indicated its intent to amend the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) Bill to adopt the target proposed by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) on 2nd May 2019 of net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2045, and increase the staged targets for 2030 and 2040.