‘Last chance’ to save golden eagles under threat from major windfarm scheme

The warning comes ahead of a review of the scheme by the Planning and Building Standards Committee of Scottish Borders Council on 2 March.

RUN has submitted a formal objection, raising concerns over ‘dated, inaccurate’ data used to assess the impact of the wind farm on the vulnerable golden eagle population in the region.

Dr Cat Barlow, CEO of RUN, said: “While we strongly support the role of well-sited renewable energy in tackling the climate crisis and safeguarding nature in the long term, our detailed analysis evidences that Scawd Law in the Moorfoot Hills is the wrong location for a wind farm development.

“Using data from our state-of-the-art satellite monitoring, alongside extensive field observations by our experienced staff, we have significant concerns that the proposal would pose an unacceptable risk to the fragile local golden eagle population at a particularly critical time.

“Some of the data currently relied upon by the developer is outdated and substantially underestimates golden eagle activity in the area. More recent tag data demonstrates that eagle use of the site is far higher than suggested, meaning the predicted impacts do not reflect current reality.

“Our analysis indicates that the risk of collision at Scawd Law is at least six times greater than the figures presented by the developer. This risk will increase further as fledglings enter the landscape. Indeed, the likelihood of an eagle being killed at this site alone exceeds the collision risk posed by all existing wind farms across the South of Scotland combined.

“Breeding territories must remain intact to support long-term population recovery. Golden eagles are highly sensitive to disturbance, and inappropriate siting of wind farms risks displacing them from the very landscapes they depend on.

“The Southern Uplands are already experiencing intense development pressure. This reinforces the urgent need for an up-to-date, regional cumulative impact assessment, covering wind farms, forestry and other land-use change, to ensure informed decisions are made and golden eagles continue to thrive in southern skies.

“For all these reasons, we believe the Scawd Law proposal should be refused.”

The Scawd Law scheme proposes eight turbines of up to 180 metres in height, battery storage, approximately 6.8 km of new access tracks, associated infrastructure including substation, control building and compound, underground electricity cables, drainage and drainage attenuation measures, plus anemometry mast.

Local communities have also voiced opposition to the development.

Mike Wilcox, planning lead of Walkerburn Community Council, said: “This is the last chance to save our majestic golden eagles.

“There has been a massive, concerted effort over many years by conservation experts and volunteers from all over Scotland to reintroduce this iconic species to the south of Scotland. The local community has been very excited to see these incredible birds in our skies again after an absence of perhaps 100 years.  Going ahead with Scawd Law could potentially wipe out all the progress made in the past decade – Scottish Borders Council should reject this destructive scheme.”

Clovenfords and Heriot Community Councils have objected to the development because of its highly prominent location on the top of the 2,152 ft summit of Windlestraw Law, a beauty spot overlooking the Tweed Valley and the Southern Uplands Way, much loved by walkers, local residents and visitors to the area.

Lauderdale Preservation Group is also opposed to Scawd Law due to the threat to golden eagles and the impact on the Special Area of Conservation and Site of Scientific Special Interest in the Moorfoot Hills.

Developer Fred Olsen Renewables has revised the scheme once, but resubmitted its application to the Council without updating its collision risk modelling and without accepting that the impact on breeding eagle territories will be more serious than originally envisaged.