Highlands and Islands SNP MSP Dave Thompson has questioned energy minister Jim Mather on calls to underground sections of a major power line running from the Highlands to the Central Belt.
Mr Thompson's interrogation of Jim Mather came when he welcomed the minister's decision to help kickstart Scotland's renewable energy industry by granting approval for a major new connector to carry green renewable energy generated in the Highlands to other parts of the country.
The SNP MSP has also arranged to meet senior officials and technical staff from the line's developers to continue to apply pressure for key sections of the line to be placed underground to limit their impact on the surrounding environment.
Following the minister's announcement to the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Thompson asked Mr Mather for more detail about how the visual impact of the line would be reduced.
"I appreciate the minister's proposals for a range of improvements to the wirescape and undergrounding of a number of existing lines around and connecting to the line, and that those improvements will be up to the companies," Mr Thompson noted in the chamber.
"Will the improvements include the line itself, and how quickly does the minister expect decisions from the companies?"
However the minister stated that the wholesale undergrounding of the main line between the Highlands and Stirlingshire would be uneconomical but that this approach would be encouraged on several of the most sensitive sections of the line's 137-mile route.
In response to Mr Thompson's question from the floor of the Parliament, the minister told him: "We all knew that it was technically unfeasible to underground anything like the whole line. We are also clear that, on certain parts of it, there would be environmental, ecological, cultural or archaeological reasons why undergrounding could cause greater damage.
"Therefore, we will have to wait for the responses and make our judgments accordingly. However, our criteria are firm."
Mr Thompson commended the minister on his efforts to accommodate the concerns of those who had been worried about the impact of the 137-mile connector on the landscape it passed through.
While Mr Mather does not have the power to order the developer to place the line underground as it passes through the most sensitive areas, Mr Thompson was pleased to hear the minister had asked the developer to mitigate the impact of the line in several key areas. These included the Cairngorm National Park and the area around Balblair Sub-Station at the line's northern end near Beauly.
The developer will be encouraged to underground some of the power lines carrying energy to the main Beauly to Denny line to help reduce the visual presence of the "wirescape" required to carry the output of dozens of green energy schemes to the main line.
"I would now call upon the developers to examine their plans and look at ways they can reduce the impact of this line on the landscape," Mr Thompson said.
"Few can have any doubt about the need for us to generate more of our energy needs from renewable sources and the potential of Scotland to become a powerhouse for Europe in this field.
"This line will allow this new industry to develop in the Highlands and Islands and at the same time will require fewer (although admittedly larger) pylons to carry the electricity to markets in the south, sparking a new wave of innovation and prosperity in the north."
Mr Thompson added: "I am also encouraged to note that Mr Mather has adopted the five mitigation schemes recommended by the inquiry reporter and added another three of his own, all to minimise the impact of this line on heritage, cultural and tourism issues along its length."
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