Kintore-Tealing pylon plan sparks Scottish political row

Controversial plans for a new network of electricity pylons across the Highlands and north-east Scotland have officially been submitted to the Scottish government – triggering fresh criticism from the Scottish Conservatives.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Transmission has lodged its Section 37 application for a 400kV overhead line running from Kintore in Aberdeenshire to Tealing in Angus.

The project, which includes around 550 pylons up to 190ft tall, is part of the company’s £22bn “Pathway to 2030” investment programme to upgrade the electricity grid for a low-carbon future.

See also: Pylon encroachment could soon pay out £250 a year

This network includes a new substation near Tealing, which is planned for farmland, and aims to reinforce the electricity grid to integrate renewable energy from Scotland’s east coast wind farms. 

However, the project faces considerable local opposition and calls for alternative underground or marine transmission routes.

Farmers and landowners have voiced concerns about the impact of the large-scale energy project on prime agricultural land in rural areas, including Angus.

NFU Scotland has raised concerns with SSEN Transmission about the effect of the proposed project on its members, including low line heights of powerlines on agricultural land.

Although NFUS recognises the national interest in such projects, it says any infrastructure upgrades should not come at the cost to Scottish agriculture”.

“The scale of the proposed pylon developments is deeply concerning for some of our members,” said NFUS president Andrew Connon.

“We have been calling for early, constructive engagement by power companies with affected communities and land managers – not as a courtesy, but as a necessity. Scotland’s transition to net zero cannot come at the cost of rural livelihoods or in isolation from the people it will most affect.”

He added: “Any development must accommodate the realities of modern agricultural machinery, and it is essential that responsibility for ensuring safe sag and clearance heights lies with the developer – not with landowners or land managers.” 

MSP Douglas Lumsden with protestors agains the pylon plan © Scottish Conservatives

‘Monstrous’ proposal

Scottish North East Conservative MSP Douglas Lumsden has gone further, describing the proposal as “monstrous”. He has also criticised first minister John Swinney for refusing to meet residents, despite the scale of the development.

“The SNP are choosing to destroy our countryside and they want to silence rural Scotland’s voice while they do it,” Mr Lumsden said.

He also accused Mr Swinney of having “no empathy for the concerns of people living and working in rural areas who fear becoming imprisoned by pylons, wind farms and battery storage plants”.

In response, Mr Swinney told the Scottish Parliament: “I can’t engage myself in issues that will be determined by ministers of this nature and the proper process will be taken forward,” he told the Scottish Parliament.

A Scottish government spokesman added: “There is a need for ministers to observe caution around engaging with individuals or groups in relation to specific planning applications or decisions.”

Public comments open

SSEN Transmission, meanwhile, said the submission follows one of the largest public consultations ever held in the north of Scotland, with 40 events helping shape changes to the proposed route and substation sites.

Alison Hall, SSEN Transmission’s director of development, said: “This project will unlock vital low-carbon electricity and strengthen the security and affordability of our energy system.

“We’re grateful to all stakeholders who contributed to shaping our proposals.”

The Scottish government is expected to decide on the application within 12 months. Public comments are open on the Scottish government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU) website (reference ECU00005225) until 27 October 2025.