Gales and Power

The river Forth with waves

Dozens of trees blocked paths

Hanging lichen on the fallen trees - no air pollution here

Mystery Lumberjacks

We have had the full set of winter weather in the last few days and gale force winds were the latest trial.  They were the strongest since 1968 if we are to believe the Met Office. The Co-op was mobbed in the early morning, people stocking up before the imminent gales struck. I managed to get provisions and back home before the rising flood waters cut us off again, the second time this week. The winds began to howl and branches were flying across the garden. And this was long before the Minister, Keith Brown, told us to stay indoors and not to travel. Just after 3pm there was one of those moments you knew was going to make a difference - the electricity failed. I had just finished a few emails so I was not unduly disturbed. We found candles, lit the wood burning stove, took the chairs through and assembled reading material.  This was total isolation: road closed by floods, no electricity and too windy to step outside. The initial novelty soon wore off: reading a kindle by candlelight is not romantic nor is cooking on a camping stove  in the kitchen in winter. Give me a tent in the remote mountains, a cup a soup and savoury rice in the summer for using the camping stove.

It took over 27 hours before electricity was restored but in the evening the floods subsided and the next day I managed a long walk in the forest climbing over dozens of trees that had been brought down by the gales and fallen on the forest tracks.  We went out for an evening meal in a pub in the nearest settlement that had electricity and we were joined by a dozen or so engineers from Scottish and Southern Energy who had been working round the clock for the past 24 hours restoring power supplies.  They had that contented comradeship that events like this generate and when we returned home we had heat and light. It reminded us how dependent we are upon electricity and brought home the long lasting damage of the war in Iraq, where citizens are still restricted to a few hours a day. Scotland has capacity problems that will increase over the next few years.

Thankfully the Scottish Government had finally taken a decision to give the go ahead for the upgrading of the power lines between Beauly and Denny.  A proposal that had been made 8 years ago and which had been opposed by various campaigning groups supported by cowardly politicians at all levels.  I had attended a dozen or so community meetings in 2005/2006 when the rationale for the scheme had been set out and we managed to obtain various route amendments with the power companies.  Arguments against the new pylons (10 metres taller but only two to replace every three existing pylons) were very strident but lacked rigour and conveniently ignored the evidence that was presented.  I am no fan of pylons but I know most of the route quite well and there was a genuine desire by the power companies to adjust the route to minimise the impact upon sensitive landscapes. The route does not intrude on Scotland's grander landscapes.

• Did the existing power lines need to be upgraded? - yes because the existing power stations both coal and nuclear that serve much of Scotland are to close and generation will increasingly be from wind and wave power in the north, capacity of the existing grid is already at its limit.  
• Could the cables be put underground? No because the cost increases twelvefold and cables are encased in concrete that creates infrastructure corridors just as intrusive as motorways and each time there is a major water crossing there is a need to bring above ground with ugly fields of transformers at either end.  
• Is it the best route to safeguard scenic landscapes? By and large, yes and significant changes were made to accommodate concerns raised by SNH, Councils and environment groups.  
• Is it safe? Well safer than using a vacuum cleaner and all owners of properties within 200 metres of the route were guaranteed that they would be compensated at market value if they wished to move.  There were less than 100 properties in the 200 mile route.

So why so long to reach a decision - because politicians at national and local levels believed that the vocal minority opposing the scheme had to be appeased and they had to be seen to be in the vanguard. It was an example of democratic inertia that is damaging the economy and pampering the nimbys.  At least five years have been wasted and whilst due process or legitimate delays are cited as the reason, we all know that it is political cowardice of the type that allowed News International to flourish. Politics should be about leadership and facing difficult decisions not courting whimsical popularity.