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Energy giants hope Scottish court will permit development of 36 turbines on moorland<br />

Scotland Energy giants hope Scottish court will permit development of 36 turbines on<br />

moorland Holly Watt<br />

Sun 4 Feb 2018 09.09 EST Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email View<br />

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WhatsApp Share on Messenger Close A wind farm near Thurso, near John o’ Groats. More<br />

than 200 crofters have objected to proposals to build on communal land close to Stornoway,<br />

Lewis. Photograph: David Cheskin/PA Hundreds of crofters are fighting an attempt by the<br />

energy giants EDF and Wood Group to build a windfarm on the island of Lewis. More than<br />

200 crofters have objected to proposals to build on communal land close to Stornoway, the<br />

biggest town in the Outer Hebrides. The crofters want to build their own development, with<br />

the profits going to the local community.<br />

The row started because under Scottish law, crofters have rights over the land even though<br />

the multinationals have bought a lease through a joint venture called Lewis Wind Power.<br />

Complex rules around crofting give both landowners and smallholders rights.<br />

EDF and Wood have now applied to the Scottish Land Court to force through the<br />

development of 36 turbines on the “common grazings”, triggering the objections to the<br />

plans. Wind is increasingly seen as a key natural resource in the Western Isles, with the<br />

potential to boost the economic future of the islands.<br />

The contested area is moorland called the Stornoway General, a few miles from the main<br />

town. Stornoway General is divided into areas for different villages and owned by the<br />

Stornoway Trust. One township, , borrowing £14m from Santander bank to finance the<br />

development, and the turbines now support a drug and alcohol programme, a hospice and a<br />

local arts centre. Building our own windfarms would be transformational to the islands<br />

Angus McCormack Calum MacDonald, a former Labour MP for the area who was involved<br />

in developing the first three turbines, said the earlier development proved that the crofters’<br />

plans were viable. “We absolutely believe we can make it work and that we would be able to<br />

borrow the money for the development,” he said. “EDF would not be doing it unless they<br />

believed it would make money.”<br />

MacDonald said crofting rights were particularly important to locals. “After the Highland<br />

Clearances, the crofts were protected by statute. Like so much land in Scotland, two<br />

different interests have rights over the land – the landowner and the crofter. It’s because of<br />

the history that people get so upset, the idea that their rights to the land would just be<br />

handed over to a multinational, just like that.”<br />

Angus McCormack, a local councillor and chair of the Point and Sandwick Trust, said a<br />

larger community-owned project could finance more local causes, as well as create jobs on<br />

an island with a high poverty rate.<br />

“We have to do it for the young people. There is nothing else to stay for,” said McCormack.<br />

“Building our own windfarms would be transformational to the islands. One of the key things<br />

is trying to keep hold of the young people. They go away for their education, and they never<br />

come back.”<br />

Rhoda MacKenzie, from the the Sandwick and North Street township, said the 70-year<br />

lease was too long. “In a few months’ time, it could be gone for two or three generations,”<br />

she said. “If this were oil, they would be treating it differently, but wind has always been<br />

here. It’s just we’ve proved that we know how to harness it now.”<br />

The rules around crofting evolved because traditionally, crofters had small pieces of land<br />

next to their houses, where they raised livestock during the winter. During the summer, they<br />

would travel to the moor. Crofters’ rights include grazing sheep and cattle and cutting peat,<br />

and they have extended to planting trees and growing windfarms.<br />

In their manifesto in the 2017 general election, the Conservatives announced that although<br />

onshore wind power would no longer be subsidised, an exemption would be made to<br />

support the development of wind projects in the remote islands of Scotland provided they<br />

“directly benefit the local communities”.<br />

This means that Lewis Wind Power could bid for subsidies under the “contract for<br />

difference” scheme, which guarantees a minimum price for electricity. EDF recently agreed<br />

a CfD deal for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset, which to electricity<br />

consumers.<br />

Supporters of Lewis Wind Power say that multinationals’ involvement is critical to support<br />

the construction of an interconnector, carrying electricity to the mainland grid. Although EDF<br />

and Wood Group would not invest directly in the interconnector, it will not be built unless<br />

there is a guarantee of largescale electricity generation.<br />

Kerry MacPhee, from Lewis Wind Power, said: “Without the interconnector, there won’t be<br />

any more community windfarms or any project on the island. We need this interconnector.

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