Holly Watt
Hundreds of crofters are fighting an attempt by the energy giants EDF and
Wood Group to build a windfarm on the island of Lewis.
More than 200 crofters have objected to proposals to build on communal land
close to Stornoway, the biggest town in the Outer Hebrides. The crofters
want to build their own development, with the profits going to the local
community.
The row started because under Scottish law crofters have rights over the
land even though the multinationals have bought a lease through a joint
venture called Lewis Wind Power. Crofting is bound by complex rules that
give both landowners and smallholders rights.
EDF and Wood have now applied to the Scottish land court to force through
the development of 36 turbines on the “common grazings”, triggering the
objections to the plans. Wind is increasingly seen as a key natural
resource in the Western Isles, with the potential to boost the economic
future of the islands.
The contested area is moorland called the Stornoway General, a few miles
from the main town. Stornoway General is divided into areas for different
villages and owned by the Stornoway Trust.
One township, Point and Sandwick, has built three turbines on its section,
borrowing £14m from Santander bank to finance the development, and the
turbines now support a drug and alcohol programme, a hospice and a local
arts centre.
Calum MacDonald, a former Labour MP for the area who was involved in
developing the first three turbines, said the earlier development proved
that the crofters’ plans were viable. “We absolutely believe we can make it
work and that we would be able to borrow the money for the development,” he
said. “EDF would not be doing it unless they believed it would make money.”
MacDonald said crofting rights were particularly important to locals.
“After the Highland Clearances, the crofts were protected by statute. Like
so much land in Scotland, two different interests have rights over the land
– the landowner and the crofter. It’s because of the history that people
get so upset, the idea that their rights to the land would just be handed
over to a multinational, just like that.”
Angus McCormack, a local councillor and chair of the Point and Sandwick
Trust, said a larger community-owned project could finance more local
causes, as well as create jobs on an island with a high poverty rate.
“We have to do it for the young people. There is nothing else to stay for,”
said McCormack. “Building our own windfarms would be transformational to
the islands. One of the key things is trying to keep hold of the young
people. They go away for their education, and they never come back.”
Rhoda MacKenzie from the Sandwick and North Street township said the
70-year lease was too long. “In a few months’ time, it could be gone for
two or three generations,” she said. “If this were oil, they would be
treating it differently, but wind has always been here. It’s just we’ve
proved that we know how to harness it now.”
The rules governing crofting evolved because, traditionally, crofters had
small pieces of land next to their houses, where they raised livestock
during the winter. During the summer, they would travel to the moor.
Crofters’ rights include grazing sheep and cattle and cutting peat, and
they have extended to planting trees and building windfarms.
In their 2017 general election manifesto, the Conservatives announced that,
although onshore wind power would no longer be subsidised, an exemption
would be made to support the development of wind projects in the remote
islands of Scotland provided they “directly benefit the local communities”.
This means that Lewis Wind Power could bid for subsidies under the
“contract for difference” (CfD) scheme, which guarantees a minimum price
for electricity. EDF recently agreed a CfD deal for the Hinkley Point C
nuclear power station in Somerset, which has been criticised for the vast
projected cost to electricity consumers.
Supporters of Lewis Wind Power said that multinationals’ involvement is
critical to support the construction of an interconnector, carrying
electricity to the mainland grid. Although EDF and Wood Group would not
invest directly in the interconnector, it will not be built unless there is
a guarantee of largescale electricity generation.
Kerry MacPhee, from Lewis Wind Power, said: “Without the interconnector,
there won’t be any more community windfarms or any project on the island.
We need this interconnector. Lewis Wind Power have been working on this
project for years. It’s not as simple as just bidding into a contract for
difference. You’ve got to have the critical mass.”
Iain Maciver, the factor (agent) of the Stornoway Trust, said the
interconnector was vital. “If they do their maths, they will realise that
100% of nothing will always be nothing. If we don’t get this project
through, the island economy is on its knees.”
Patrick Krause, the chief executive of the Scottish Crofting Federation,
said the crofters’ objections were important. “This is something that the
government should be looking at as part of their infrastructure development
anyway,” said Krause. “The Scottish government’s plans are to increase our
dependency on renewable energy, and if the best places for turbines are on
the islands, or offshore completely, then we need interconnectors. I don’t
like the fact that the Scottish government are maybe getting out of their
duty on this and leaving a community to fight with a big transnational
syndicate.”
Donald John MacSween, the general manager of the Point and Sandwick Trust,
said that the crofters’ plans justified the interconnector. “For
generations, we’ve been living in a gale, and now that we’ve finally found
a way to make money out of it, I don’t see why EDF should take it,” said
MacSween. “Mind you, if we can find a way of making money out of rain and
dark nights, then we’ll really be in business.”
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