Plans by Queen Elizabeth for permission to create a new small-hydro power energy scheme on her estate at Balmoral have been called in by the Cairngorms National Park Authority.
Balmoral Estates wants to build a 2-MW turbine to generate power worth up to £650,000 a year from the River Muick, which runs through the property.
Aberdeenshire Council has also raised objections to the queen’s plan because of concerns over the impact that construction noise on building the scheme would have on wildlife.
A council spokesman said: “We are concerned that there may be noise emission from the proposals which could be detrimental to the amenity of neighbouring noise-sensitive receptors.
“Typically hydropower turbines can emit significant amounts of noise.
“The noise information currently provided in the environmental statement <from Balmoral> offers no measurements of the current background noise nor any site-specific predictions.”
Construction work would last two years and involve the installation of a 30ft salmon ladder to enable the fish to swim upstream.
Balmoral Estates has offered to restrict workers’ hours on the protected site to avoid disturbing otters in the early morning and late at night and said there would not be any significant impact on nearby habitats.
But the Cairngorms Park Authority has called in the application because it raises “issues of significance”.
Even if the authority rejects the queen’s planning application, this will likely be over-ruled by the Scottish Energy Minister in any subsequent appeal.
28 Feb 2018
Pixie Energy is an incubator and a facilitator of strategic research and project work, focusing on energy regulation, policy and markets at the local and national level. Find out more about Pixie Energy