This Letter to the Editor, written by CO2 Coalition Member Euan Mearns, was published in The Press and Journal, April 16, 2024:

Sir, I write to clarify any misunderstanding that may exist about the nature of the ongoing consultation conducted by Scottish and Southern Energy Networks (SSEN) and the line of giant pylons that will stretch from Kintore to Tealing and beyond. My understanding is that the current consultation is not about whether or not these pylons should be built but instead concerns the route and locations of individual towers. SSEN simply say that they are delivering on UK government targets for variable renewable energy (wind and solar).

This raises the important question of when the Scottish people were consulted on whether or not they want their countryside covered in pylons, switching stations and wind farms in order to deliver electricity to England so that Net Zero targets can be met. Surely it would make more sense to build this infrastructure in England, where the power is to be used. The Lake District and the Pennines would seem to be ideal localities for wind turbines.

All Scots should be aware that Kintore to Tealing is but the tip of an iceberg. The line will continue beyond Tealing towards Perth and then south to The Firth of Forth. Rated at 6GW and 400kV with towers 57 to 70m tall, this could be the biggest power line ever built. It should be clear that this line is unlikely to stop at the Forth, although at some point, it may go offshore.

Net Zero targets are rooted in the 2008 Climate Change Act introduced by Ed Miliband. The target then was to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050 (compared to 1990). In 2019, the target was amended to 100% (net zero) in a short evening debate in The House of Commons, and allegedly passed without a vote. Targets for 2030 are 50GW offshore wind, 30GW onshore wind and 40GW solar PV compared with values of 13, 13 and 14GW respectively in 2023. This represents a threefold uplift in infrastructure in the next 7 years. An uplift in wind and solar capacity of 80GW in the next few years will effectively mean another 80GW of power lines in Great Britain. This cannot be allowed to go ahead above ground. All rural dwellers should be aware that renewables infrastructure may be heading their way. The exact origin of these targets remains elusive.

I have sent an FOI to Secretary of State Claire Coutinho asking to see the technical, economic and environmental assessments performed in reaching the 50-30-40 targets. It has been alleged that these assessments do not exist. If this turns out to be the case, then it must surely be the time to pause this whole process and to properly evaluate the environmental, social and economic implications of pursuing Net Zero based upon variable renewable energy.

Anyone can object to Kintore – Tealing. Deadline for submissions is end of April.

Dr Euan Mearns, Aberdeen

A Note from Dr. Euan Mearns:

I have been writing about, and trying to defeat, the con-joined global warming and variable renewable energy scams for at least 11 years. In 2013 I started my own blog called Energy Matters with the aim of hosting a multi-polar but convivial discussion about the global energy system. One of my aims was to reduce complex issues to a level that could be understood by non-experts. An example would be Electricity Supply and Demand for Beginners.

Suffice to say that I (and we) have been fighting a losing battle. But chickens now come home to roost where plans for vast expansion of renewable energy infrastructure are underway in Scotland. The focus right now is a plan (evidently already rubber stamped by UK government in Westminster) to build a gigantic power line that will pass to the west of Aberdeen (where I live). We are not directly affected. But for me, enough is enough of power lines, switching stations, wind farms and solar arrays everywhere. To provide a political slant, all this infrastructure is to provide England (or the UK) with credits towards reaching Net Zero.

I have indulged in copying several local (Scottish Parliament)  and senior central (Westminster Parliament) politicians in correspondence. I have received numerous responses mainly on “our” side. It is quite clear the politicians do not understand the repercussions of the Net Zero policies they have rubber stamped. I have had one very good meeting with a Member of Scottish Parliament who is a local representative of mine. Coffee on a Saturday morning that lasted 2 hours. He was very engaged.

I have contacted several of the protest groups along the route of the power line and ty to offer them support. Part of this activity has been writing many letters to local press, most of which have been published. The focus of this blog post is the latest letter published on 16^th April.

Dr Euan Mearns

Energy Matters, Aberdeen

Member CO₂ Coalition, Arlington Virginia