Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, Fergus Ewing MSP is visiting SSE’s site near Boat of Garten to oversee the first electricity steel towers being felled as part of the permanent removal of the 132kV transmission line from Boat of Garten to Tarland in the Cairngorms National Park. Once dismantled, the towers and conductors will be sent for recycling.
This work is part of the rationalisation of overhead lines which form part of the planning consent for the Beauly Denny line. In total, 109km of existing overhead transmission lines in the Highland and Perth and Kinross areas will be removed as part of the Beauly Denny project.
The removal of the towers through the Cairngorms National Park area began in October 2010 at the Lecht and will continue until late 2012.
SSE’s Director of Transmission, Ian Funnell said: “The upgrade of the network in the north of Scotland is vital to facilitate the growth of renewable generation. The project to replace the Beauly Denny transmission line will facilitate the removal of existing lines completely or their replacement with wooden poles or underground cables.
“We have worked closely with the local communities, landowners and the Cairngorms National Park Authority and are pleased with the response we’ve had on the removal of the towers and the regeneration that will take place in areas such as Abernethy Forest.”
Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: "The Beauly - Denny upgrade is the most significant grid infrastructure project in a generation. Scotland's electricity network needs significant reinforcement to allow our vast renewables potential to be harnessed, transmitted and exported - currently we simply do not have the transmission capacity to carry the green energy which Scotland will generate over the coming years. The replacement line will have a quarter fewer pylons, and over 100 kilometres of associated wirescape feeding in to the line can be removed or improved.
"The upgrade will also improve the landscape in areas such as this one, the beautiful Cairngorms National Park, as old pylons are removed and replaced in a way designed to minimise the impact on the views around them.
"I'm delighted to have seen the first pylon felled as part of that process on the Boat of Garten to Tarland stretch of line, and the huge impact it has on this stunning landscape."
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