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Argyll Array Project Update #37 – October 2012

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Scottish Power Renewables logoPublic Information Day (PID)

A final reminder that this year’s Public Information Day will be held on Tuesday 30th October between 2.00 pm and 7.00 pm in An Talla, Crossapol. Refreshments will be available throughout the day.

What’s a decommissioning plan?

Decommissioning is the term for the removal of the wind farm from the site at the end of its life. The lease of the seabed from the Crown Estate will be for 50 years. The turbines will have an anticipated life of 20-25 years. The original turbines may therefore be replaced after 20-25 years, enabling the wind farm to be productive for the whole life of the lease. However, whenever the productive life of the wind farm, or any part of it, ends it will be removed from the site. That removal will be a massive operation in itself. It will be carried out under the requirements of the Energy Act 2004 and in accordance with the best practice at that time. The current best practice requires all elements of the windfarm having visual, sea-use or environmental impacts to be removed. The process is essentially the construction process in reverse. It’s also expected to take a similar period of time and have similar environmental impacts as the original construction phase.

The Environmental Statement (ES), which will be such an important part of the consenting and licensing process, will give equal weight to the effects of the decommissioning of the wind farm as it will to its building and operation. The final design of the wind farm will therefore take account of the need for decommissioning. The Energy Act requires the Secretary of State to approve the project’s decommissioning plan before construction starts. The plan cannot be finalized until after engineering design for the wind farm has been completed and this is confirmed after the licensing and consenting process.

Finally, the decommissioning will take place relatively far in the future and be a very expensive process. Therefore, a financial security arrangement, funded by SPR, will be agreed with the regulators before construction begins. This will guarantee that the decommissioning plan can be funded and carried out when the time comes.

Future updates

· Progress with the Tiree Community Partnership Fund

Questions or comments

If anyone has any questions or comments on any of the above, or indeed any aspect of the project, please contact me at – Donnie Campbell, ScottishPower Renewables Community Liaison Officer, Machair, Kilmoluaig in the first instance. My land line telephone number is 220352, mobile number 07881 983753 and email [email protected]

Argyll Array Project Update #34 – September 2012

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Scottish Power Renewables logoPublic Information Day (PID)

This year’s Public Information Day (PID) for the project will be held on Thursday 4th October between 2.00pm and 7.00pm, in Tiree Rural Centre, Crossapol. Complimentary light refreshments will be available all day from the Cobbled Cow. The format will be the same as at the last PID; members of the public are invited to drop in anytime during the day to view a number of information and consultation displays. These will include displays on;

· How protecting the wildlife at the wind farm site may influence the project

· An update of SPR’s technical and environmental studies.

· Consultation on SPR’s current thinking regarding the wind farm converter station

· Information and consultation on the proposals for sharing the benefit of the project

· Information on the project timetable and the next steps

There will be a chance to discuss these and any other aspects of the project with the project team and a number of other specialist staff from SPR. There will also be a number of ways of making comment.

The Environmental Statement (ES)

Avid readers will recall that I outlined the background and purpose of this important document in my last update. It’s a legally required part of the planning application, written by independent consultants. It assesses the environmental impacts that the building, operation and decommissioning of the project could have and how any significant impacts can be reduced or avoided.

So, what are some of the aspects of the environment that it actually assesses? It assesses the potential effect on all aspects of-

· tides, currents, waves, sediments, seabed and water quality at the wind farm site

· seabed life, marine mammals, basking sharks, birds, fish and shellfish at the wind farm site

· the ecology of Tiree itself

· commercial fishing, navigation, air traffic, radar and military activity at the wind farm site

· tourism, recreation, general socio?economic conditions in Tiree and other human activity

· landscape, seascape, cultural heritage, noise, air and climate

Each of these headings will be studied in detail and the final Environmental Statement will be the result of a process that has continually evolved the project design in order to take account of environmental impacts. This is the process which is just beginning now.

The Environmental Statement will be used as a very important (but not the only) piece of evidence to weigh in the balance when the decision is made whether to give permission to build the windfarm. If permission is given, the ES may also form the basis of any conditions imposed on the development.

No responsible developer, such as SPR, will propose an effect on the environment that is outside the law and neither can any regulator approve such a proposal. The Environmental Statement will be used to demonstrate and ensure compliance with the law regarding offshore windfarm development. While there will be no specific presentation at the PID on the process of producing an Environmental Statement, SPR staff will be happy to discuss any aspect of it on the day.

Future updates

· What’s a pre?application consultation?

· What’s a decommissioning plan?

Questions or comments If anyone has any questions or comments on any of the above, or indeed any aspect of the project, please contact me at – Donnie Campbell, ScottishPower Renewables Community Liaison Officer, Machair, Kilmoluaig in the first instance. My land line telephone number is 220 352, mobile number 07881 983 753 and email [email protected]

Argyll Array Project Update #33 – August 2012

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Scottish Power Renewables logoPublic Information Day (PID)

This year’s Public Information Day (PID) for the project will be held on Thursday 4th October between 2.00pm and 7.00pm. The venue has still to be finally confirmed. The format will be the same as at the last PID; members of the public are invited to drop in anytime during the day to view a number of information and consultation displays. There will be a chance to discuss these and any other aspects of the project with the project team and a number of other specialist staff from SPR.

There will also be a number of ways of making comment. There have been some significant changes to aspects of the project since the last PID 14 months ago. This PID will explain the effects of these changes and also consult people on how the project should develop further in the future.

There will be further information about the day, including confirmation of the venue, in my next update.

The Environmental Statement (ES)

· What is the Environmental Statement?

It’s the document used to convey the results of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to the regulator, Marine Scotland, and all others interested in the application. It provides a description of the project (its construction, its operations/ maintenance and its eventual decommissioning). It also describes the environmental impacts the project could have, the ways significant impacts can be reduced or avoided and the research data used as evidence. It is a legal document forming part of the planning application in 2014.

· What’s the Environmental Impact Assessment?

This is the first step towards the Environmental Statement and, as the name suggests, the EIA assesses the environmental impact of the project. The immediate objectives of the EIA are to improve the project’s environmental design, check its environmental acceptability and identify ways to reduce any impacts. The main long term objective is to avoid serious damage to the environment.

It works by identifying any changes needed to the project and then assessing those changes in turn, in order to refine the project design and reduce environmental impacts as much as possible. Most of the Environmental Impact Assessment work will be done in 2013 but work has already started on possible effects on basking sharks and bird life at the site.

· How complicated is the Environmental Statement?

As Marine Scotland and others interested require more and more detail, the ES gets quite large and technical. For this reason a Non Technical Summary (NTS) is produced which may, for example, summarise a 400 page ES in 20 pages.

To keep the ES itself to a manageable size and readable by the layperson, it will refer to Technical Appendixes which are very detailed reports on individual topics. All are usually public documents when planning is applied for.

· Who writes the ES?

It will be produced for SPR by professional, independent environmental consultants, who will in turn employ specialist sub-contractors.

· How can we be sure the ES is accurate and impartial?

Windfarm Environmental Statements are rigorously evaluated by regulators and also non government agencies and the general public. The issues can also end up being discussed at formal planning inquiries so developers must ensure evaluations are accurate. An inaccurate Environmental Statement would invite serious problems for the developer at the decision making stage. Incorrect decisions made by regulators based on an inaccurate Environmental Statement also invite problems for them.

· When will Tiree see the ES?

The final ES is submitted as part of the planning application. However, an early draft will be available in the form of a preliminary environmental report at least 3 months before a planning application to Marine Scotland. This is currently planned to be in mid-2014, as part of the pre-application consultation on the project. (More about pre-application consultation in a future update.)

· What aspects of the environment will the ES report on?

This is what makes it such an important document. This will be dealt with in my next update.

Future updates

  • Detail of what aspects of the environment the Environmental Statement will report on.
  • What’s a pre?application consultation?
  •  What’s a decommissioning plan?

Questions or comments

If anyone has any questions or comments on any of the above, or indeed any aspect of the project, please contact me at – Donnie Campbell, ScottishPower Renewables Community Liaison Officer, Machair, Kilmoluaig in the first instance. My land line telephone number is 220 352, mobile number 07881 983 753 and email [email protected]

No Tiree Array Update

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no tiree arrayENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

SNH is currently conducting a Basking Shark survey of the Skye-Mull area, including Tiree & Coll, as part of the environmental study with regard to possible MPA status for, or within, the Area. Tracking details have been impressively revealing in terms of shark location, confirming Tiree-Coll and Skerryvore as a basking shark hot spot. SPR’s survey boat is reported to have sighted 918 Basking Sharks within the proposed Tiree Array Area on 6th August.

NTA will provide a detailed analysis of this data on its website www.no-tiree-array.org .uk

HVDC CONVERTER

SPR has stated it is ‘minded’ to put this offshore. This is based on feedback from last years Public Information Days and the Scenario Mapping Consultations. Notwithstanding this background, SPR still wants to ‘provide more information‘ on locating a convertor onshore in Tiree.

In SPR’s view there may be some ‘benefits in respect of jobs and infrastructure’. SPR advise that it is their intention to provide this information at their next Public Information Day. Irrespective of the reasons offered by SPR to reconsider their ‘minded’ offshore location for such HVDC converters, there are technical ,and operational reasons why SPR would wish to have one, at least, of what could be up to three such HVDC converters on shore Tiree .

NTA has requested SPR to present appropriate visualisations and montages of both options. SPR has refused this request, consequently NTA is requesting Marine Scotland and Fergus Ewing, Scottish Government’s Minister for Energy, to intervene.

NIGHT-TIME VISUALISATIONS

SNH in Marine Scotland‘s Scoping opinion stated :-

We highlight that ‘dark skies’ at night are a major attribute to Tiree. SPR has consistently refused to present appropriate visualisations. NTA will endeavour to present same, shortly, using data provided by SPR.

Argyll Array Project Update #28 – June 2012

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Scottish Power Renewables logoPublic Information Day 2012

The SPR Public Information Day for 2012 will be held in the autumn, on a date yet to be fixed. There will be a number of SPR staff on hand to give information on such issues as the implications of the new project timetable, the process of preparing our Environmental Statement and any other matters raised on the day.

There will also be direct consultation on the options for the location of the wind farm converter station. As announced earlier in the year, SPR is currently minded to site the converter station off-shore. However, after consultation with the Tiree Trust, it was decided to present more detailed implications of siting the facility either offshore or on-shore in Tiree.

There are advantages and disadvantages to the island of each option and the information and discussion at the Public Information Day will assist in the making of the final decision. I hope to be able to provide details of the date, venue etc for the day in the near future.

Tiree RESET Fund

An important part of SPR’s liaison and engagement in Tiree has been to highlight the potential economic and social benefit to people in Tiree of employment in the renewable energy sector and to encourage access to the skills, education and training needed for such employment.

During SPR’s discussions earlier in the year with the Tiree Trust regarding the future establishment of a Community Partnership Fund, it was agreed that a separate fund for Renewable Energy Skills, Education and Training (RESET) be established immediately.

The intention is for this to be funded by SPR on an annual basis and available from this year until a final investment decision is made on the project in 2016/17 after which a more broadly based skills fund with a remit beyond Tiree, could operate. For 2012/13 a total of £10,000 will be made available from SPR to the fund for people who attended secondary school in Tiree and/or are currently living in Tiree.

Whilst it is anticipated that a number of recipients of funding will be those in the 16-22 age group attending university or college, it should be emphasised that the fund is not restricted to those candidates. The fund is designed to help people of all ages and of all aspirations to gain qualifications that will help in getting employment in the renewable energy sector. A formal invitation to candidates to apply for support from the fund will be published in the next edition of An Tirisdeach on July 6th, along with a copy of the Fund Rules which give full details of the fund objectives, eligibility and the criteria for the award of support.

Basking Shark surveys

As highlighted in a previous update, further work is required to better understand the potential effects of the Argyll Array wind farm on Basking Sharks and Great Northern Divers.

To help inform this work, Basking Shark surveys will be undertaken on behalf of SPR throughout July, August and September of this year, at sea in the wind farm site. These surveys will be similar to those that have been undertaken previously on the site and will feed into the project’s Environmental Statement.

Future updates

· What’s in an Environmental Statement?

· What’s a pre-application consultation?

Questions or comments

If anyone has any questions or comments on any of the above, or indeed any aspect of the project, please contact me at – Donnie Campbell, ScottishPower Renewables Community Liaison Officer, Machair, Kilmoluaig in the first instance. My land line telephone number is 220 352, mobile number 07881 983 753 and email [email protected]

NTA Update

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NTA decided at the end of February to look at environmental issues associated with the proposed Tiree (Argyll) Array.

We reported in the 16th March edition of AnT on the unique Tiree status of the Great Northern Diver and Basking Shark. This highlighted their relationship to possible Special Protected Areas on Skerryvore Reef, and the context of the marine environment to the proposed Tiree Array. Such status issues may have crucial and fundamental implications in the consenting process for the proposed Tiree Array- NTA expanded upon these themes in the 30th March edition of AnT. Coincidentally in the same edition, SPR tucked away a discreet announcement of an 18 month delay in the project. SPR gave environmental reasons for this delay, coincidentally, with specific reference to the Great Northern Diver and Basking Sharks!

The latest JNCC report shows that a substantial basking shark HOT SPOT has been recognised overlapping the Great Northern Diver HOT SPOT within the entire proposed array area. This concentration of sharks is equal if not more important than the nationally important Gunna Sound hotspot.

VISUALISATIONS

scale of array turbines

Look closely. It gives you a very clear idea of how Skerryvore will be dwarfed if this Array goes ahead. Don’t forget Skerryvore will be surrounded by 180-300 Turbines. Scottish Power Renewables has PERSISTENTLY refused NTA’s requests to publish its June 2011 Visualisations and Montages. As recently as 14th May SPR still resisted when stating “It’s not consumer friendly to put such a large files on line”. Two days later however, SPR finally posted their visualizations on their website. (http://www.argyllarray.com/news-detail.asp?item=134). Just WHY it has taken SPR nearly a year to do so is a mystery. Perhaps they were worried at what your reaction might be, to what these monsters might look like close to Tiree’s shores? Maybe it is coincidental that NTA‘s detailed March 2012,submission to Marine Scotland criticised SPR ‘s Public Information and Consultation? NTA advised Marine Scotland that: – “contrary to previous undertakings SPR had not posted these June 2011 visualisations”. NTA’s submission to Marine Scotland also advised that SPR had not updated its Tiree (Argyll) Array website since July 2011. For those who follow the SPR website, there has, in the last few weeks, been a veritable deluge of updates!

RSPB

At the end of February, NTA contacted the RSPB to protest at a serious omission on the RSPB website. It contained no specific reference, or information, on the proposed Tiree (Argyll) Array. The omission was made more shocking by the RSPB’s site having specific references to other Scottish offshore wind farm sites. NTA is pleased to advise that the RSPB has now rectified their omission, and the RSPB site now has a dedicated Tiree (Argyll) Array page. To find out how they see things NOW, go to www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/casework/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-313798. Friends of the Earth, WWF & RSPB have been reported in the national press as recipients of funding from wind farm developers. NTA has been in contact with the chairpersons of each organization, asking for details of such funding.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: NTA’S NEXT CAMPAIGN MILESTONES:

Following SPR’s recent confirmation that they will study the possible local climate change caused by the inshore array, NTA will try to ascertain what methodology SPR intend to use to study these affects on our island’s weather, on our agriculture, on our environment and ultimately affects to our homes. NTA will confirm the current International, European & UK protection legislation, furnished upon the local areas proven to already meet and exceed the SPA/NIMA & MPA criteria, ie the areas that would be damaged or destroyed by the industrialisation of Skerryvore Reef and the entire area of the proposed Array.

Following the recent tourism boom at the UK’s incredible first ‘Dark Sky’ park in Galloway, NTA will further investigate Tiree’s posible ‘Dark Sky’ status and future loss of our beautiful night skies caused by the Tiree Array. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ukscotland- south-scotland- 17988825

UNCERTAINTY

NTA has been criticized for making reference to the Nov 2011 CITI report that there would be investment uncertainty created in the light of the independence issue. SPR’s rivals Scottish and Southern (SSE), it must be said, has been open and forthright on this issue, by stating that it would honour existing investment in Scotland. SSE warned, however, that the uncertainty created by the 2014 referendum could jeopardize future investment plans. (http://scottishutilities.co.uk/news/78.htm). The renewable industry is subsidy driven and subsidy dependent. Subsidy policy is, currently, UK Government policy. But uncertainty of the subsidy policy of a possible independent Scotland is a matter of deep concern to any investor. Spain is in financial crisis. Only last week Ignacio Galán, Chairman of Scottish Power, and its parent Iberdrola, stated his commitment “to sell assets, cut investments and improve efficiency in an effort to reduce debt We are going to revise all of our investments that aren’t already allocated … focusing much more on our debt situation.” It would appear that debt reduction has become the number one priority for Iberdrola-Scottish Power.

Wobbles and Delays In Tiree Turbine Plans

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Tiree Array (artists impression)

The controversial proposals to erect giant turbines close to Tiree are hitting delays and uncertainties.

As we know, Scottish Power Renewables (SPR) now will not submit planning applications until the latter half of 2014. Tiree folk have to accept at face value the company’s explanation that this is due to ‘environmental issues’. However, there may be other factors at work to put brakes on SPR’s plans. Citi Group, the global investment bank, warned that investors would be cautious until after the Scottish referendum on independence. These ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTIES were more recently compounded by market worries about the exposure of Scottish Power and its parent company, Iberdrola, to Spanish banks. Spain’s economic crisis is mounting by the day. The issue of the withdrawal of Doosan, the Korean manufacturer who planned to develop offshore turbines in Scotland, was clarified by the company as the result of ‘…the overall economic conditions in Europe’. In other words, the wind energy industry is feeling the windchills of all the economic woes!

TRANSMISSION HEADACHES

A recent SPR update stated it was minded not to place a huge converter station on Tiree. Last week the Oban Times reported that SPR were exploring options via Mull. SPR reasoned that if offshore cabling risked being dredged up it could take months to fix it!

This happened near Tiree two years ago and it took five months to get power transmission back to normal. If this is such a real risk it makes one wonder why the Tiree Array is being proposed in the first place! SPR itself is not allowed to build or own the kind of high voltage equipment needed for these jobs. The transmission network will be constructed by an Offshore Transmission Operator (an OFTO) appointed by OFGEM the energy industry regulator. Had things been on track for Tiree, the OFTO tendering process for the Tiree Array should have been started by now. There is no sign yet of this happening.

The Moray Array made its first moves on this process last November, and it is hoping to submit for planning in 2012. It would appear to the layman, then, that transmission problems for SPR continue to mount and may be contributing to their own planning application delay. NTA has asked for clarification on this from OFGEM and SPR.

EUROPEAN UNION

The issue of the Tiree Array is now at the heart of Europe! NTA made a presentation to an EU symposium on offshore windfarm environmental issues, including the Blue Carbon question and potential destruction of wildlife, flagged up by NTA itself.

These also may have contributed to SPR’s problems. The meeting was attended by folk from the Scottish Government and Marine Scotland, the planning agency.

WHAT YOU WILL SEE IF THE ARRAY IS BUILT

Regrettably, the Tiree Trust has withdrawn from a previously agreed joint approach with NTA to this question of visuals and the selection of viewpoints on the island. Because of delays, SPR will pursue this issue next year. Last November Marine Scotland announced that it was ‘currently reviewing its licence manual and the consultants working on this will include visual impact.’ This shift on visual impact will replace and update current guidelines and when these are published NTA will consult with the various statutory bodies involved. We’ve told SPR we’ll be doing so. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE CONSULTATION PERIOD FOR THE ON-SHORE MAPPING SCENARIO CLOSES ON FRIDAY 27 AUGUST. ALSO BE AWARE THAT CONSTANT UPDATES ON ALL THESE ISSUES AND MORE ARE AVAILABLE ON NTA’S WEBSITE AT www.no-tiree-array.org.uk

Argyll Array Project Update 25 – Febrary 2012

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Scottish Power Renewables logo

Community Partnership Fund

The second meeting with Tiree Community Development Trust to discuss this initiative took place on the 14th of February and the third meeting on 21st February.
A joint report on the meetings will appear in the next issue of An Tirisdeach.

Engineering Foundation Programme

A reminder that any young person interested in applying for a place on this year’s programme should contact either myself or Ralph Thornton on 0141 614 0418. Staff at Tiree High School will also be able to give prospective candidates further information and support. Obviously, places are open to both female and male applicants.

Coastal Communities Fund

Further to the item in the last update, any group seeking funds from the Highlands and Islands part of the Fund can download a prospectus from www.communities.gov.uk/documents/regen eration/pdf/2085591.pdf.

Converter Station

Preliminary research has now been completed for SPR regarding the siting of the converter station at the wind-farm end of the grid export cable route to Dalmally. Most will recall that a short-list of possible export cable routes has already been drawn up, all of which involve either a route over Mull to Oban or a completely sub-sea route to Oban, with no cable coming on to either Coll or Tiree. At the moment, SPR is minded to apply for permission to site the converter station offshore within the wind farm and not onshore in Tiree. The current position is based on feedback received through last year’s Public Information Day (PID) on Tiree, and the Scenario Mapping consultations. However, SPR has agreed with Tiree Community Development Trust to provide more information on the onshore convertor station at this summer’s Public Information Day. There are some benefits in respect of jobs and infrastructure on Tiree which would occur irrespective of the strategy for the windfarm. The island’s views will be sought at the PID in the summer, and if there is strong feedback in favour then SPR would reconsider the possibility of an onshore location.

Questions Or Comments

If anyone has any questions or comments on any of the above, or indeed any aspect of the project, please contact me at – Donnie Campbell, ScottishPower Renewables Community Liaison Officer, Machair, Kilmoluaig in the first instance. My land line telephone number is 220 352, mobile 07881 983 753 and email [email protected]

Argyll Array Project Update #24 – February 2012

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Scottish Power Renewables logo

Community Partnership Fund

The second meeting with Tiree Community Development Trust to discuss this initiative took place earlier this week, on the 14th of February. A joint report of the meeting will be in the next Tirisdeach, as the meeting was held too late for it to appear in this week’s newsletter.

Marine Traffic Survey

This survey, conducted from the top of Ceann a‘Mhara, ended on Thursday 16th February. A further survey will take place during the summer.

Engineering Foundation Programme

An advertisement for this exciting opportunity appears elsewhere in this week’s newsletter. If any young person from Tiree is interested in applying for a place on this year’s programme then, in the first instance, please contact either myself or Ralph Thornton on 0141 614 0418. Staff at Tiree High School will also be able to give prospective candidates further information and support. Obviously, places are open to both female and male applicants.

Coastal Communities Fund

In the summer of 2011 the UK Government announced the setting up of the Coastal Communities Fund. This is a Fund made up of 50% of the revenues from the Crown Estates marine assets in the UK. The Crown Estates receive revenues from fish farms and off shore wind farms and a number of other sources of income. The Government has now published a Prospectus for the Fund, which invites expressions of interest for funding by the end of March, with those successful at that stage invited to submit full applications by September. This is not an SPR initiative and is completely separate from the Community Partnership Fund for Tiree which is being discussed currently. Tiree is, however, an obvious coastal community and any group interested in applying to the Highlands and Islands part of the Fund can download the prospectus from www.communities.gov.uk/documents/regeneration/pdf/2085591.pdf

Questions Or Comments

If anyone has any questions or comments on any of the above, or indeed any aspect of the project, please contact me at – Donnie Campbell, ScottishPower Renewables Community Liaison Officer, Machair, Kilmoluaig in the first instance. My land line telephone number is 220 352, mobile number 07881 983 753 and email [email protected]

Argyll Array Project Update #23 – February 2012

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Scottish Power Renewables logo

Community Partnership Fund

The first meeting with Tiree Community Development Trust to discuss this initiative took place on the 24th of January.
A joint report of that meeting appears elsewhere in this issue.

Marine Traffic Survey

As I said in the last update, there are due to be two surveys of marine traffic on the wind farm site this year. The first of these has started this week.Marico are the company carrying out the survey on SPR’s behalf, for the next two weeks or so.

The main survey point will be near the top of Ceann a’Mhara to gain the best radar sweep of the wind farm site. This is difficult work, not least due to the difficulty of getting the equipment on to the hill and coping with the wind exposure. Anyone interested in seeing how the work is done and how the data is gathered is welcome to go along to visit the survey, subject to any safety restrictions that may be in force at the time. The team are based at MacKay’s Cottage in Balephuil for the duration of the survey or can be contacted through myself.

Engineering Foundation Programme

ScottishPower’s 2012 Engineering Foundation Programme is now open for applications and this is a tremendous opportunity to learn valuable skills and start off a worthwhile career in the electricity industry.

The programme is a partnership between some Scottish colleges and ScottishPower and is designed to equip school leavers with the skills and qualifications to support progression onto an Engineering Apprenticeship.

Over an academic year the individuals achieve a qualification that focuses on Electrical Engineering at Level Two. ScottishPower currently recruits for the programmes in Scotland and also in the North West of England and North Wales.

If any young person from Tiree would be interested in applying for a place on this year’s programme then, in the first instance, please contact either myself or Ralph Thornton on 0141 614 0418. Staff at Tiree High School will also be able to give prospective candidates further information and support. Obviously, places are open to both female and male applicants.

In 2011, three Engineering Foundation Students secured an apprenticeship with ScottishPower’s Energy Networks business and a further four have been offered positions with the contractor IQA.

Questions or comments

If anyone has any questions or comments on any of the above, or indeed any aspect of the project, please contact me at – Donnie Campbell, ScottishPower Renewables Community Liaison Officer, Machair, Kilmoluaig in the first instance. My land line telephone number is 220352, mobile number 07881 983 753 and email [email protected]

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