Flow Country Importance - Overhead Line (ohl) Between Spittal And Beauly, Connecting Via Loch Buidhe

14th September 2024

Specialist teams at SSEN Transmission have been working with communities and public bodies to minimise the impact of infrastructure works on the Flow Country - now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In this blog, Senior Consents and Environment Manager Tara Cowley explains that environmental protection is at the heart of our project development process.

At SSEN Transmission we were delighted to hear the news that the Flow Country has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status, in recognition of the globally important role this peatland plays in the fight against climate change.

Thanks to the efforts of the Flow Country Partnership, the expansive area of blanket bog in Caithness joins the likes of the Serengeti and Great Barrier Reef in achieving recognition from UNESCO for its incredible ecosystem - our congratulations go to all those involved in achieving this special status.

At SSEN Transmission we recognise the importance of protecting the environment and communities in our infrastructure projects, strictly adhering to environmental policies and regulations and following a mitigation hierarchy of "avoid, minimise, mitigate and restore" to safeguard local, national and international designated environmentally protected areas.

 This ethos was at the forefront of our design development process for our proposed 400kV overhead line (OHL) between Spittal and Beauly, connecting via Loch Buidhe. Our specialist team took full account of the Flow Country's World Heritage Site candidacy at all stages, recognising its vital role as a hugely complex and fragile ecosystem.

Our initial route options presented for consultation to communities, statutory bodies and other key stakeholders in February and March 2023 included three options for the start point of the OHL at Spittal - two to the west of the A9 had greater potential for impact on the peatlands that comprise the World Heritage Site, while the third to the east of the A9 and Spittal Hill had significantly less potential. As a result of feedback from communities and statutory authorities such as NatureScot and The Highland Council, the options to the west of the A9 were discounted to avoid these impacts.

Furthermore, in response to discussions with NatureScot and feedback from the local community, we amended the proposed alignment of the OHL as it travels south from the Spittal area to minimise impacts on the characteristics of the World Heritage Site and other internationally designated areas. This was one of several alignment options that were considered through our consultation, more details of which are available to view here

A full Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitats Regulations Appraisal is underway which will assess the likely impacts of the proposals and identify appropriate mitigation measures. Both reports will be publicly available when we submit our application for consent to Scottish Ministers. In addition, we are applying Highland Council's guidance and World Heritage Site assessment toolkit, which was recently updated because of the Flow Country's new status.

Going forward, we will continue to liaise with NatureScot, SEPA, Historic Environment Scotland, Highland Council, communities, landowners and other key stakeholders in relation to minimising the potential environmental impact of the proposed new OHL. By continuing to listen and to act on their feedback we will seek to minimise any impact on the landscapes of the north of Scotland – parts of which are now officially recognised as among the world’s most important ecosystems.