Scottish Water announces drinking water improvement projects for Carradale and Dalmally

However, not all submissions have yet been heard. John McGhee, QC for the objectors – Stop the Inchmarnock Fish Farm (STIFF), indicated that he was quite happy for twenty-one other witness statements to be given through written precognitions. These statements include that of Christine McArthur, Secretary of STIFF. The objectors have also been given until 10th March to submit their closing statement.

John Campbell, QC for the applicants, then has a further three days to submit his closing statement for Offshore Farm Developments (OFD).

The Reporter, Mr Michael Culshaw, will be doing site visits to a number of locations on 12th March before preparing his conclusions.

The final public evidence sessions heard Mr Ian Kelly, a Planning Consultant, a witness for the applicants and Mr Kenny McNab, chairman of the Clyde Fisheries Association, a witness for the objectors.

Mr Kelly was critical of the report prepared by the Council’s Planning Department for Bute and Cowal Councilors – which they rejected. He said that the report did not address the economic benefit of the proposal and described it as lacking an ‘analytical or evidential basis for its conclusions’.

Under cross-examinationm Mr David Eaglesham, Leader of the Council’s Area Planning Team, admitted that ‘certain of those criticisms are valid’.

Mr McNab’s evidence focused on scallop dredging off he north end of Inchmarnock which he described as an important site for such fishing, being one of only two such sites in the Firth of Clyde sheltered from southerly winds. He valued scallop dredging as being worth around £86,400pa to Tarbert and Carradale on the west coast of Loch Fyne, declaring that the economy of both these villages depends on the scallop catches.

The Buteman online will publish early next week a summary of the public hearings and will also carry this in its print issue to be published on 5th March.

‘Biggest deal in history of marine energy’ for Airtricity, prospective operator of Kintyre and Islay offshore windfarms

Posted on February 25, 2009 by

Danish Wind Turbines Edinburgh-based Aquamarine Power has just completed a deal with Airtricity to develop 1GW of wave and tidal power off the Coast of the UK and Ireland by 2020. The deal is described as ‘the biggest deal in the history of marine energy’. Airtricity has recently been announced as the prospective operator of offshore windfarm developments at Machrihanish in Kintyre and Islay, with exclusivity development agreements offered by the Crown Estate.

Airtricity, now owned by Scottish and Southern Energy (itself of recent – but no longer – acquisition interest to Vattenfall, an early operator in carbon capture) and Aquamarine will enter into a 50:50 joint venture using devices and site identification software from Aquamarine and capital – undisclosed amount – from Airtricity.

Aquamarine says that work on the first two sites has already begun but is not disclosing the locations. Their CEO, Martin McAdam says: ‘Fully consented offshore windfarm sites are selling to owner-operators at between £150k and £400k per megawatt, giving a strong indication of the large potential of this deal if all 1,000MW of sites receive full consents and grid connections.

This is another move underlining the vital need for Argyll’s subsea grid upgrade interconnector from Hunterston to Carradale, if Argyll is not to be left behind in an area of energe development where it should be in the vanguard.

Aquamarine has designed software to identify and evaluate marie energy sites anywhere in the world suitable for its Oyster hydro-electric wave power converter and its Neptune tidal energ device. It has identified several Gigawatts of potential power in sites around the UK and Ireland but the gaining of cosents will be a sensitive process.

Its Oyster wave power converter is to start testing later this year at the cutting edge European Marine Energy Centre at Stromness in Orkney.

The photograph above – of an offshore wind farm off Copenhagen – is reproduced here under the Creative Commons licence.

Council’s Economy PPG has already carried out the Minister’s recommended actions on the Kintyre grid upgrade issue

Posted on February 21, 2009 by

Hunterston Here is yet more evidence of the on-the-ball operations of the current Argyll and Bute Council. Recently we saw the encouragingly collective acceptance of responsibility that produced this year’s agreed budget allocations. Today – Saturday 21st February – Councillors have responded immediately to Energy Minister, Jim Mather’s, recommended actions on the issue of the crucial Hunterston to Carradale subsea link being omitted from the National Planning Framework document.

It was the watchfulness of the Council’s Economy Policy and Performance Group (PPG) that initially spotted the omission and led to the Leader, Dick Walsh’s letter to the First Minister, seeking reassurances on the matter.

The Economy PPG, with Councillor Ron Simon as Chair, has also already ensured that the Convener of the Local Government and Communities Committee has been made fully aware of the Council’s concern at this omission.

Councillor Simon says: ‘I hope this offers some reassurance that the Council are fully on top of the matter and will continue to press at all levels in the best interests of the economic and environmental future of Argyll and Bute’.

Councillors are waiting keenly for contact from officials for the talks to progress the Hunterston subsea cable issue.

The photograph above is of the Hunterston power station from which the subsea cable would run to Carradale in Kintyre. It is reproduced here under the Creative Commons licvcence.

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