Latest news with #Riddoch
The National
10-06-2025
- Business
- The National
Lesley Riddoch explores need to upgrade rural grid network in new film
The National columnist and filmmaker released her latest documentary, Applecross - Energy Rich, Power Poor: Why Scotland's green revolution isn't working for local people, where she visited the north west peninsula in Wester Ross to highlight the energy struggles the rural community in Applecross is facing. Applecross is famous for its spectacular views as it overlooks Skye and is the highest mountain pass in Britain, separating it from the rest of the Highlands, and is home to 250 residents. Despite being surrounded by energy-rich sources, seven in 10 of its residents live in fuel poverty, Applecross lacks amenities like public electric charging points, and even the only inn doesn't have capabilities to run electric showers, due to an inadequate grid connection. READ MORE: Palestine Comedy Club to be brought to Edinburgh Festival Fringe One of the main points Riddoch makes is the community has had to become self-sustaining with its own energy, which includes its community hydro project, Apple Juice, due to the 'feeble piece of grid' which services the area. However, the community hydro project is unable to export any of the surplus energy it generates – meaning it is also losing out on vital income for community projects. 'It's [Applecross] the highest mountain pass in Britain, it's obviously got huge drops for hydro-energy, and it's a natural for lots of hydro-energy, and wind, the whole of the north of Scotland is windy too,' Riddoch explained. 'Anywhere else in the countries that I've been making films about for some time, that amount of natural resource, you would be laughing, because you would have a local, truly local council, and they would own the energy resource and be supplying it to their people for pretty much next to nothing. 'Whereas these folk are just at the other end of everything, having to wait for SSE to decide whether or not they're important enough to put in the grid improvement that was promised to be in place and operating in 2019.' Riddoch explains in the film that the Apple Juice hydroelectric project, which has been running for around a decade, should have 'transformed the lives' of the local community, but simply hasn't due to the grid. It's not just the local community that has faced problems with the grid, with a nearby commercial hydro project having to wait five years before it saw the upgrades needed to export electricity into the grid properly, with around 60% of its output wasted, Riddoch explained. New businesses are also unable to start up properly due to the lack of access to phase three energy, which they would require but is unavailable to them – the Applecross brewery is used as an example as it is based 10 miles south east of the village. (Image: Lesley Riddoch) The 30-minute film was released last Wednesday and has since been viewed thousands of times online. On Monday, the Scottish Government approved the planning application for the replacement of the existing overhead line between Fort Augustus and Skye. SSEN's 'Skye reinforcement' project will aim to replace the existing, single circuit overhead line, which is reaching the end of its operational life, according to the energy firm. SSEN added that the line needs to be strengthened to maintain electricity to homes and businesses in Skye and the Western Isles, as well as renewable energy developments which are set to rely on the new line to carry electricity into the national grid. A spokesperson for SSEN Transmission and SSEN Distribution confirmed that Applecross will benefit from the 'Skye reinforcement' project. They said: 'Additional capacity for Applecross will come onstream on completion of SSEN Transmission's proposed Fort Augustus to Skye reinforcement project. 'This has just been granted planning consent from the Scottish Government following the submission of a Section 37 planning application in 2022.' Megan MacInnes, the development manager with the Applecross Community Company who stars in Riddoch's film, said the delays in the upgrading of the grid has resulted in decades of lost income, but believes the film has helped to raise awareness on the issue. (Image: free) 'We are relieved to hear that planning permission has been granted for this upgrade to the national grid,' she said. 'It is probably just a coincidence, but maybe the film we recently made with Lesley Riddoch 'Applecross – Energy Rich Power Poor' – has raised awareness of the challenges we face? The delays so far with this grid upgrade have meant a decade of lost income from our community-owned hydro project, AppleJuice – money which could have been reinvested locally. 'We just hope this means the export cap will soon be lifted so that community energy projects, like ours, can reach their full potential.' Ariane Burgess, the SNP MSP for Highlands and Islands, added it was a relief that the network upgrade has been approved but warned it is still years away from completion. She said: 'The community should be supported to make more use of the clean, green energy it generates locally via battery storage and EV chargers, for example. 'Across Scotland, we must update our grid to unlock the full potential of our community-owned renewables - both to provide energy security in an uncertain world and boost the resilience of rural communities.' Riddoch concludes in her film that Scotland is surrounded by many great examples from other countries on how it can thrive with renewable energy infrastructure and highlights the admirable self-reliance of the Applecross community. 'The community company is amazing,' Riddoch said. 'We've seen all these things that are taken for granted everywhere else, which are provided by that little development trust and if income comes to it, it stays here. 'It creates infrastructure, it makes up for all the state, the council and everybody else is not providing here and it can't even get a second turbine into a tiny project. 'It can't even export all the energy from its tiny hydro because of that constrained, inadequate grid.'
The National
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
BBC Debate Night audience told to 'get angry' over energy crisis
Broadcaster and journalist Lesley Riddoch made the comments in Inverness as she appeared on a panel alongside SNP MSP Fergus Ewing, Tory MSP Edward Mountain, Labour MP Torcuil Crichton, and former chairman of Inverness Caledonian Thistle Alan Savage. The panel was asked what could be done to avoid a "modern Highland Clearances", and keep Scots in the Highlands rather than the majority move away. According Highland Council, the population of the region will fall by 5% by 2040. READ MORE: Ed Miliband: Zonal energy pricing won't proceed if it raises bills in parts of the UK Crichton said he was "reluctant" to compare the crisis to the Clearances, adding: "Depopulation is the biggest issue facing us, facing the periphery, facing the Western Isles. We have to start looking at population retention, and attracting young people back to the Highlands, with jobs and with housing." He further added that what is happening in the peripheries of Europe, should be of note to the rest of the continent as "white western Europe is in decline, we're all aging, and the demographics are all going the wrong way". Jardine then asked Riddoch about what can be learned from the Nordic experience, to which she responded: 'I'm sitting here fuming, because what the Highlands have got is energy. 'Massive, massive amounts of renewable energy - the profits of which are going everywhere else but the Highlands. 'The Highlands should have no energy bills, they've got so much potential. 'The remote areas could be laughing and choosing between, 'will it be tidal, would it be solar even, would it be wind, would it be hydro?' 'There's so much potential here, but because of the pricing of energy in the United Kingdom, which is a Westminster responsibility, we end up having renewables priced at the expensive rate of gas." Riddoch went on to highlight "rubbish grid connections" across Scotland, adding: "I was in Applecross last weekend. Those guys had a community hydro, I knew the lass that actually spent two months raising £780,000 - unbelievable that she could do that in two months flat - they were really pleased with their community hydro. 'Wee snag - the grid is so rubbish, they can only export half of the energy, and it's a tiny, tiny hydro system. Same is true for any commercial venture, they can't export the energy. 'How do you think Applecross is going to expand its population? And how angry would you be there? I wish people would be more angry. "My lot come from Caithness, a bit of me's Highland, I understand people are quiet. But, it's time to get really angry about this because you are being had."
