- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 27 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the quadrupling of the amount of aggregate to be quarried from the site of the proposed wind farm at Whitelee Forest makes the addendum to Scottish Power's proposal to build a 322 megawatt wind farm at Whitelee Forest a material change to the original application.
Answer
We have considered this in consultationwith the three planning authorities and concluded that as the revised proposal constitutesa significant change to the original application, the applicant should be requiredto prepare an addendum to the environmental statement and that these changes shouldbe subject to fresh consultation.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 26 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to commission nationwide studies on the effect of wind turbines on the environment in order to comply with Council Directive 2001/42/EC, which comes into force in July 2004.
Answer
We have no plans to commissionsuch studies as the directive will apply to new plans and programmes started onor after 21 July 2004, or old plans if they will not be adopted before July 2006.Individual wind farm developments are, and will remain, subject to the requirementsof the environmental impact assessment regulations.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 26 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will measure emissions savings resulting from the generation of electricity by wind turbines.
Answer
Emissionssavings from wind power will vary depending upon the fuel that is displaced - displacement of coal will result in higher emission savingsthan displacement of gas. The most recently published data shows that wind generation in Scotland in 2002 accounted for 450 GigaWatthours (GWh). This level of output could reduce carbon emissions by between 45,000and 90,000 tonnes.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andrew Welsh on 21 April 2004
To ask the Presiding Officer how many staff it employs (a) directly, (b) by secondment and (c) on a contract or consultancy basis to fulfil its media relations function.
Answer
The Media Relations Officeof the Scottish Parliament currently has (a) seven full-time and one-part-timemember of staff, (b) it has no seconded staff and (c) has one externalphotography contract which allows for consultancy work.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has given to planning authorities concerning the assessment and mitigation of peat slide risk at wind farm sites and whether this advice was reassessed following the peat slide at Derrybrien in the Republic of Ireland which a report from Applied Ground Engineering Consultants states was triggered by the construction of a wind farm.
Answer
No such advice has been issued.We are commissioning work to develop a risk assessment tool for use in connectionwith wind farm developments on blanket peat. We shall, if necessary, issue adviceto planning authorities when this work has been completed.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will now institute a public inquiry into the application to build a wind farm at Whitelee Forest, in light of Scottish Power's recent acknowledgement that it underestimated the amount of aggregate to be excavated from the site by over two million cubic metres and South Lanarkshire Council's request that concerns raised by objectors and consultees be investigated.
Answer
There are a number of mattersconcerning this application that remain to be resolved. This is likely to take sometime. If at the end of this process there are still issues that cannot be resolvedwithout a public inquiry, then a public inquiry will be put in place.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cubic metres of peat are now expected to be disturbed at the site of the proposed wind farm at Whitelee Forest following Scottish Power's identification of deeper and more extensive areas of peat within the site during further ground investigation.
Answer
The disturbance of peat is oneof a number of issues that remain to be considered prior to determination of theapplication by ministers. No decision will be made until these issues are resolvedor until it becomes clear that there is no solution available that meets the needsof all the parties involved.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Power was required to undertake a new environmental impact assessment at the site of the proposed wind farm at Whitelee Forest to estimate potential significant habitat impact from the proposed four-fold increase in aggregate to be quarried from the site and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.
Answer
Scottish Power were advised on29 May 2003 that the increased scale of borrow pits would, in terms of Regulation14 of the Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations2000, require a further environmental impact assessment.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive when it became aware that the amount of aggregate to be quarried from the site of the proposed wind farm at Whitelee Forest would be increased from three-quarters of a million cubic metres to three million cubic metres and whether this was a factor in the consideration of extending the construction programme from 24 to 31 months.
Answer
This information was given tothe Scottish Executive and the three relevant planning authorities during a meetingwith Scottish Power in May 2003. The reasons for the request for an extension tothe construction period are included in the addendum to the environmentalstatement and all of these matters are still to be considered. A determination of the company’s application for consent is not expected in the near future.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it advised Scottish Power regarding its request to third party objectors to copy their submissions to Scottish Power in advance of recent local authority planning committee hearings in respect of the proposed wind farm at Whitelee Forest.
Answer
The Scottish Executive issuesgeneral advice to applicants about the contents of notices published in connectionwith applications to the Scottish ministers for consent under the Electricity Act.The request referred to is not included in that advice. The notices published byScottish Power meet the requirements set out in the Electricity (Applications forConsent) Regulations 1990 and it remains a matter for the individuals involved whetherto copy their responses to the applicant.
