Detailed plans for a major electricity substation which would send power along a line of ‘super-pylons’ stretching from Angus to Aberdeenshire have been revealed.
The Tealing development would cover almost 200 acres of farmland in the shadow of the Sidlaw Hills.
It would transfer renewable energy from huge offshore windfarms and onshore sources along the planned 400kV overhead line stretching from Tealing to Kintore.
Energy giant SSEN has now submitted a detailed planning application for the Balkemback Farm scheme with Angus Council.
It would site close to an existing substation at Tealing.
Dozens of local objections have already been lodged.
Some criticised the narrow time window over the festive period for representation to be made.
But Angus Council has extended the deadline for comments on the application until January 31 next year.
What does the Tealing plan involve?
The site sits just west of Tealing village and around 2.5 kilometres from the A90 Dundee to Aberdeen dual carriageway.
It would see the creation of a 22-bay, 400/275 kV air insulated switchgear (AIS) substation on a site totalling 77 hectares.
The level platform on which the substation would sit would cover 675m by 285m, running east-west.
Other key components include:
- New permanent access road east of the site from Emmock Road
- Construction of a culvert over a watercourse that drains to the Fithie Burn to the south
- Widening of the access track at Emmock Road for HGVs
- Single storey control building
- Landscaping, including screening bunds and new planting
SSEN’s local consultation included a Tealing Hall meeting in May.
Planning agents say: “The applicant has given careful consideration to the siting, design, layout and access to ensure it is in the most suitable location, and that it is designed with sensitivity given to its local context.
“The proposal seeks to deliver a functional development, which avoids significant impacts.”
The Tealing application comes as SSEN Transmission submitted a plan to energy regulator Ofgem for at least £22bn in mission-critical grid infrastructure between now and March 31.
Sidlaws substation plan opposition
Early objectors to the Tealing proposal say the substation’s impact could be “life-altering” for people living nearby.
Ralph Young wrote: “This industrial-scale project would completely overwhelm the small community, compromising its character and discouraging new residents, thereby jeopardising the village’s long-term sustainability.”
Edie Allan said using a vast slice of farmland for the scheme was “utter madness”.
And Dr Karolina Hain, who lives near the site, said: “I urge the planning authority to consider the cumulative strain this development will place on our community; the potential for further industrialisation; the unacceptable noise impacts; the ecological harm; the unjustified loss of agricultural land; the lack of justification for the chosen site, and the inadequacies of the current environmental impact assessment and proposed mitigation measures.
“I respectfully request that the application be rejected or subjected to further scrutiny and revision.”
Conversation