Fears have been raised that Kintore is being “steamrolled into an industrial zone” after plans for a tenth renewable energy scheme were lodged within a 1.5 mile radius of the town.
Proposals have been lodged to build a battery storage and solar farm next to Kintore, sparking renewed concerns over the decimation of the area’s countryside.
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A total of 10 different developments are now in the pipeline for Kintore, half of which have already been approved.
Scottish Conservative MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Alexander Burnett, said the sheer number of energy schemes around Kintore will cause “irreparable damage” to its “spectacular countryside”.
It comes just months after a new 49.9MW battery energy storage system was given the green light next to Kintore substation, despite fears over fire safety risks.
The proposals, which attracted 51 letters of objection, will see XRE Gamma Ltd install the facility, better known as a BESS, at Leylodge located just 2.5km from Kintore. It will include 36 batteries, 18 battery integration cabinets and a substation.
The development will also have 18 inverter units, 2.5 metre high security fencing and two CCTV cameras.
It follows proposals to also construct Europe’s largest green hydrogen facility at Kintore.
Statera Energy, a firm specialising in battery storage and various forms of flexible energy production, wants to build 500 megawatts of capacity by 2028, with plans to increase this to three gigawatts by the end of the decade, representing 60% of the Scottish Government’s goal for hydrogen production.
Scottish Conservative MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Alexander Burnett, said: “Kintore is being steamrolled into an industrial zone through an unjust transition which the community is overwhelmingly opposed to.
“People are rightly concerned about the irreparable damage that the high number of these giant developments on their doorstep will cause to the landscape.
“Not only is this causing trauma to residents but these endless applications, which are being approved with very little consultation, risks setting a planning precedent that would lead to the decimation of Kintore’s spectacular countryside.
“I strongly encourage everyone opposed to these developments, who haven’t already submitted their objections, to do so to further show the strength of public feeling towards this.”
