‘No sense’ building more Scottish wind farms, says UK’s largest power generator

The extraordinary admission at the Aurora Energy Spring Forum last week in London was made by Tom Glover, UK country manager for global energy company RWE, which claims to be the UK’s biggest power producer.  

“It makes no sense to put more [wind power capacity] in Scotland," said Mr Glover. "But because we don’t have a signal that says ‘don’t build anything more in Scotland’, we build more in Scotland.”

This is an astonishing acknowledgement – not just because it demonstrates that the whole industry is aware of the fact that excess energy capacity is being generated which simply cannot be used, but also because it confirms that the Scottish Government is not sending any ‘signal’ to the energy sector to stop development.

Mr Glover added that constraint for power from Scottish wind farms is now at 68 per cent. Let’s take  a moment to consider that fact. Over two thirds of the wind energy generated in Scotland each year is simply being discarded, and the energy companies are being paid to turn off their turbines.

It begs the question, why is the Scottish Government building more and wind turbines, pylon lines, substations and vast battery energy storage systems, and in the process devastating the landscapes and wildlife of Scotland, when even major multinational energy companies consider it nonsensical?

According to its web site, RWE is the largest producer of power in the UK, with 32 onshore wind farms in operation and plans to significantly increase this number. The firm points to ‘planned growth on greenfield sites in Scotland and Wales’ adding that onshore wind is ‘relatively quick to build and easily scalable’.

We would agree that it is ‘relatively quick to build’ onshore windfarms in Scotland. The Scottish Government has dismantled many of the safeguards in the planning system which previously protected conservation areas, important habitats for rare species, prehistoric archaeology and cherished landscapes.

Since the introduction of National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), Scottish Government policy sets out that priority must be given to renewable energy generation above all other considerations.

The Glasgow-based Energy Consents Unit adjudicates on energy developments over 50MW. It has reversed decisions made by local authorities again and again, approving giant windfarms which are simply not in the interest of the local community and not needed in Scotland. Appallingly, the existence of one windfarm is often used as justification for further development, as energy companies often refer to sites ‘within an existing windfarm landscape’. There is no assessment of cumulative impact and no Minister tasked with looking at the bigger picture.

And yes, as Mr Glover expects, ‘greenfield sites’ will no doubt be built on. Even areas with nationally-important peatland, carbon-rich soils or crucial habitats for rare wildlife, are now declared suitable for any and every type of renewable energy development.

This is Scotland’s chaotic and calamitous push for renewable power in action. Unspoilt landscapes are being scarred by industrialization on an unprecedented scale.

Local communities are calling for an immediate halt to all further construction to protect our moors, meadows and munros – before we lose the very essence of Scotland.

Read Tom Glover’s comments in full in Energy Voice.