27 May 2026
Scottish Borders communities are calling for a greater say on major developments in their area, ahead of a pivotal energy debate in the Scottish Parliament tomorrow (Thursday 28 May).
The Scottish government is expected to call for all energy decisions to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament, in a motion entitled It’s Scotland’s Energy.
Local communities in the Scottish Borders say that rather than devolving decisions to the Scottish Parliament, decisions should instead be devolved to local communities.
Rory Steel, chair of Lauderdale Preservation Group, said: “Since 2020, decision-making for large renewable energy projects has been in the hands of Scottish Ministers rather than local authorities, under the reformed planning framework. The result has been a massive proliferation of wind farms, pylon lines, substations and battery storage sites, devastating our heritage and landscapes. We are calling for a restoration of local decision-making, enabling local planning authorities to reflect the concerns of people in their area and only grant permission to schemes which have the backing of local communities.”
Under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, planning permission for energy developments with a generating capacity of 50MW or more are determined by the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU). In Scotland, National Planning Framework 4 requires that the production of renewable energy should be considered an overriding priority. In the majority of cases, the ECU has granted permission for energy developments, even where the local planning authority has lodged an objection.
More than 20 Community Councils in the Scottish Borders have signed a statement calling for a moratorium on further renewable energy construction until there is a strategic plan in place for Scotland’s energy.
Bob Hope, Chair of Leitholm, Eccles and Birgham Community Council, said: “We urgently need a clear UK strategy for energy. Thereafter, any decisions being made on where energy infrastructure should be sited have to be made at a local level, to avoid over-proliferation in one area. We have democratic structures in place which are designed to give local people a voice, but the creation of the Energy Consents Unit has removed all accountability at a local level. There has never been refusal for a Battery Energy Storage Site application by the ECU. It’s totally anti-democratic.”
In 2024 Scotland’s total demand for electricity was 26.8 terawatt hours (TWh) but the amount of electricity produced, from renewables alone, was 38.3TWh.
Grid balancing costs and payments to wind farm operators to turn off their turbines in 2024 reached an all-time high of £1.5 billion. NESO expects this figure to increase to £8 billion by 2030.