By Jamie Buchan Plans for a massive windfarm in the north-east have been dealt a huge blow by a senior local authority official. Campaigners believe an environmental report on the multimillion-pound scheme proposed for a site south of Peterhead could sound the death knell for the project. Councillors will now Read more
Magnus Gardham Political Editor EDINBURGH City Council has come under fire after its most senior official was encouraged to accept a second job as a non-executive director of utility giant SSE. Sue Bruce, who has been chief executive of the council since 2011, will be paid £57,000 on top of Read more
In reply to the Energy Minister’s letter (July 12), the boast that our renewable capacity will be moving from 4GW to more than 14GW by 2020 is hollow, since the majority of this is planned to come from wind power. The transmission of large amounts of electricity south of the Read more
The European Union has no plans to impose a blanket ban on hydraulic fracturing, a controversial shale gas extraction method, but it will lay out rules to address environmental concerns, a top EU official said. http://phys.org/news/2013-07-brussels-eu-wide-shale-gas.html
A community group has put pressure on councillors to ignore a recommendation to turn down plans for a Kinross-shire wind farm. http://www.perthshireadvertiser.co.uk/perthshire-news/local-news-perthshire/perthshire/2013/07/16/73103-33613159/
SCOTTISH Energy Minister Fergus Ewing today refused planning consent for a controversial 23-turbine wind farm between Kiltarlity and Drumnadrochit. The decision on Tuesday has been welcomed by anti-windfarm campaigners who say if the proposed turbine at Blairmore Forest had gone through it would have set a “terrifying president”. http://www.highland-news.co.uk/News/Druim-Ba-windfarm-rejected-by-Scottish-minister-16072013.htm
By EMILY BEAMENT AND HOLLY WILLIAMS Household energy bills will rise £240 a year by 2020 due largely to the mounting cost of government green policies, energy giant RWE npower has warned. The “Big Six” energy providers said profits were not to blame for rising bills and that consumers should Read more
David Ross Highland Correspondent PLANS for 23 giant wind turbines in the hills above Loch Ness have been rejected by the Scottish Government because of the impact on the celebrated landscape. Druim Ba Sustainable Energy wanted to build the turbines, which at 490ft would have been among the highest in Read more