The facts
Location: South Ayrshire, Scotland
Client: ScottishPower Energy Networks
Start / completion dates: 2006 - Present
Services provided: Routeing Studies, EIA
Co-ordination & Management, LVIA
The project
This project for Scottish Power Energy Networks required
Capita Lovejoy to pull together and manage a team of specialist
consultants in Ecology, Hydrology, Archaeology, Forestry and
Tourism and Recreation.
The team provided consultancy services in identifying routeing
options, and then developing these through to a preferred line and
to bring this forward with appropriate Environmental Information to
a Section 37 Application for the overhead line.
This project comprises a number of distinct elements:
- A collector substation at Mark Hill Windfarm providing a single
circuit 275kVconnection to the existing Northern Ireland
Interconnector (and subject to a Town and Country Planning Act
application); and
- Two 132kV overhead line connections to this from the proposed
windfarms at Arecleoch and Balunton (subsequently omitted from the
study).
The study required the identification of a suitable location for
the substation and the development of this proposal and
Environmental Information to support the Planning Application.
The overhead line routes are single circuit 132kV and the
practice has been responsible for their development from initial
routeing studies through consultation and Scoping to full detail
and subsequent Environmental Impact Assessment to provide an
Environmental Statement to accompany the Section 37 application.
The location of the routes through sensitive landscape and other
constraints has provided a wide range of challenges to this
process.