Motion in Scottish Parliament to stop overhead cabling and pylons, similar to that passed by Welsh Assembly last week

[user1485516068]

A motion was passed last week by the Welsh Assembly to stop future overhead pylon development and by under grounding cables instead.
A motion has been raised to be debated in the Scottish Parliament on the 7th February for a similar law in Scotland.

Due to the increased number of wind farms up north and energy use in the central belt there are more high voltage lines planned. Nobody knows the true extent of any health implications of living close to these lines although both Cancer Research and gov.uk websites mention possible links with certain cancers. They are also spoiling the beauty of the countryside through which they run.

If you feel the same way as I obviously do, please could you ask both your regional and list MSPs to support this motion.

(Sorry about the user.....name - set up a new account for this but have been on mn for 10 years under various names)

[cdtaylornats]

Don't you think the beauty of the countryside will be spoilt by digging up large strips of it to lay cable?

If overhead cabling is a cancer threat why would underground cabling be different?

Given that the cable and the maintenance of the cable will be more expensive who pays?

When they put in the cable interconnect between Scotland and Northern Ireland it was described as "the rape of the Ayrshire countryside".

[WankersHacksandThieves]

Didn't stop them approving the hideous Beauly to Denny line upgrade including huge Pylons marching past the Wallace monument.

The wind farms are hideous enough for fuck all benefit.

The Scottish Government couldn't give a shit.

[user1485516068]

If enough people speak to their MSPs the Scottish Parliament might take notice, especially following what happened in Wales. It may also be possible to get it to be retrospective so present transmission lines would be put under ground.

[WankersHacksandThieves]

Nice idea User unless you are talking to them about independence then they are not interested.

The Beauly to denny line was protested about by many many groups as well as a concerted campaign to MPs etc. It was still given the go ahead.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35146301

[ir080485]

"The wind farms are hideous enough for fuck all benefit."

Except of course for the huge amount of clean power they provide. When the wind blows in wales then half the wind farms are asked not to generate as the existing wires can't cope with the amount of power flowing.

Wales is almost self sufficient in carbon free energy. The Welsh assembly were a little bit duplicitous in making the no more pylons pledge. Once the Electric Village project completes then no more pylons will be required for a very long time.

If you want to underground the cables then the going rate is about ten times the price for overhead cables. Bear in mind that if you live in the countryside then the price of getting electricity to your house is paid almost exclusively by the people who live in towns. It costs very little to get power to them but it costs a huge amount to get power to rural areas. Try and explain to someone who lives in Edinburgh that his standing charge will triple so that you can have an uninterrupted view. I know money isn't everything but you also live in a modern society and want all the advantages that brings, one of the side effects is infrastructure.

[ir080485]

Just read that, its like I never went to school😒

[WankersHacksandThieves]

Except of course for the huge amount of clean power they provide.

What about the impact of all the plastic and metals used to build them, the fact that it takes generations for the cost to be recouped, the damage to wildlife, the environment etc.?

If they must have them, why don't they do what they do in Holland which is to site them in Industrial areas and ports where there is already a built up area? No reason they couldn't have them along the coast at Leith etc

[caroldecker]

ir Wales produces no more than 20% of it energy carbon free, and that excludes the cost/existence of back up generation.