Calls grow to halt wind farm expansion in the Scottish Borders

"It is clear that Scotland is just a resource to be exploited. Our energy taken, no revenues given and few jobs and businesses provided, all whilst our environment is trashed,” Mr MacAskill told The Herald on Sunday newspaper.

"Basically we're supplying the south. The time has come for a moratorium on further onshore wind, other than small scale community owned ones. Enough is enough," he said.

Scotland is set to be the source of 70 per cent of the UK’s total onshore wind energy target for 2030, despite having only around eight per cent of the population, according a new energy blueprint. The report from the UK’s National Energy System Operator (NESO) finds that Scottish turbines will generate up to 20.5 gigawatts of power in the next five years, with a high concentration in the Scottish Borders where hillsides and open country are increasingly dominated by turbines.

But the report, the first from NESO since it was established in October last year, calls for the government to “ramp up” wind farm construction and to expand the transmission network in the next five years by double the amount built in the previous ten.

In response, Rory Steel, chair of the Lauderdale Preservation Group, said: “We agree with Mr Macaskill that there must be a moratorium on further onshore wind farms in Scotland. A huge 32 gigawatts of on and offshore wind capacity has already been built or consented in Scotland. Across Scotland local winter peak demand is about 4 GW of electricity.

“The business of capturing low density, intermittent wind is only viable thanks to subsidies, on demand back up and invasive infrastructure. As Mr Macaskill points out, windpower is a marginal business that generates very little in tax revenues or local jobs. Expensive energy is bad for the economy and jobs.

“Planning powers are fully devolved to the Scottish Government and Lauderdale Preservation Group urges them to use those powers for the benefit of Scotland’s people and landscape. It is time to call a halt on any further renewable energy development in the Borders and Scotland.

“Scotland is estimated to contribute 0.064% of manmade carbon emissions. Adding more steel towers here makes no realistic difference to climate concerns. Instead the Borders has a great green contribution to make as a natural carbon sink and biodiversity refuge in our peatlands, meadows, scrub and woodlands.”

As the number of turbines increase across the Borders and beyond, the debate over who truly benefits from Scotland’s green energy planning consent bonanza intensifies.