LDRSCouncillors have been urged to throw out plans for a substation at Fetteresso Forest over fears it could cause a threatened bird species to die out.
SSEN Transmission’s controversial proposal for the 400kV facility near Stonehaven has been met with anger.
More than 2,000 people submitted objections against the development to Aberdeenshire Council.
They believed that giving it the go-ahead would lead to a “tsunami” of renewable projects across the region.
But energy bosses say the substation is needed to boost the grid and connect to the proposed 440kV Kintore to Tealing overhead line.
The proposal went before the Kincardine and Mearns area committee this morning.
Drumoak resident, and self-confessed bird lover, Anne Shearer spoke at the meeting in a bid to save one of the region’s “most precious” species.
Ms Shearer revealed she has watched and studied birds all of her life, and has been a member of the RSPB since she was a teen.
She said Fetteresso Forest was a “much-loved wild space” used by dog walkers, runners and mountain bikers.
Ms Shearer also said it was “ideal” for spotting wildlife, particularly Scottish crossbills that live and nest there.
She explained the species was “restricted to north-east Scotland” and feeds on seeds from pinecones.
But she warned that there are just 6,800 breeding pairs left and feared felling the forest would destroy their habitat and wipe them out.
The keen birdwatcher also voiced concern about a potential impact on nightjars too.
Ms Shearer added: “No one has sight of, or could possibly understand, the cumulative impact on this most precious of birds.
“This is an exceedingly unsatisfactory situation for everyone except the developer, so I urge you to vote against this proposal to protect our wildlife.”
But Chris Gardner of SSEN made a case for the substation saying it was a “critical part” of a national plan to upgrade the grid.
And he explained it would build “a resilient and capable” energy network that would benefit communities for generations to come.
As well as that, he claimed that SSEN’s wider energy upgrade project would boost Aberdeenshire’s local economy by up to £820 million and create around 1,140 jobs.
Addressing the tree felling and impact on wildlife, he said SSEN had a “dedicated” nature team working on restoration opportunities with the council’s natural environment team.
“These projects have been developed in collaboration with strategic partners such as Scotland: The Big Picture and RSPB,” he added.
Stonehaven councillor Dawn Black believed there was a need for the substation due to a reliance on electricity in the future.
“We’re going to be using more air source heat pumps, we’re going to have even more electric cars, buses, etc…” she said.
“There’s more reliance on electricity and we need to have the capacity, and we need to have the capacity for transmission.
“We have climate targets that need to be met, but the other side of that is whether this is the right development in the right place.”
However, she revealed that she had yet to make up her mind on the application.
Meanwhile, councillor Catherine Victor stressed that the views of residents shouldn’t be forgotten.
She said: “I don’t think you can ignore the amount of objections that have come in about this development.
“I understand how important getting to net zero and our national infrastructure is for our electricity going forward.
“But you can’t ignore the local impact and you can’t ignore the people that we represent in the area.”
But, colleague Mel Sullivan was in favour of the plan and thought the location was “acceptable”.
After a thorough debate, councillors couldn’t come to a settled view on the application.
However, they agreed that the matter be taken to infrastructure services committee for a final decision on January 30.
If approved, SSEN hopes to start construction at Fetteresso Forest in April and it is expected to take three years to complete.
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