Scottish trust joins legal battle against 200-MW SSE wind project

Nov 24, 2014 - The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) on Thursday insisted that its members back an existing legal challenge against SSE Plc’s (LON:SSE) 200-MW Stronelairg wind project in the Scottish Highlands.

The Trust, which is Scotland’s largest conservation charity, is willing to join The John Muir Trust, which in August asked for a judicial review of the Scottish government’s approval for the scheme. The John Muir Trust’s case will be heard in the Court of Session in early 2015.

According to NTS’s CEO Kate Mavor, the wind park will be seen from large swathes of the Cairngorms National Park, even though it will not be situated near any of the trust's properties. The John Muir Trust, in turn, has stated that the facility will destroy the character of area in the Monadhliath Mountains and contradicts the government’s plans to protect wild land from industrialisation.

This summer, SSE reduced the capacity of the Stronelairg project near Fort Augustus to 200 MW from 242 MW. The company initially planned to install 83 wind turbines at the site for a total capacity of 300 MW, but agreed to cut the number of the machines to 67 following a recommendation by planners. Once operational, the scheme is expected to produce enough power for 114,000 homes, SSE estimates.

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