Planning approval was granted for a 27 turbine development by the construction group AMEC in November 2002, despite this company producing an extremely poor and possibly illegal environmental impact assessment.

Following the successful lodging of a complaint in Europe, approval was effectively rescinded in May 2005 in order that AMEC could provide additional bird data and also a peat slide stability report. Scottish Natural Heritage stated that if the predicted eagle mortality rate could be kept to 0.6 eagles a year they were confident that the wind farm would neither affect the wider population of eagles on Skye or the Cuillins SPA. However, it should be noted that the RDC (Ben Aketil site), which is adjacent to where AMEC wish to have a wind farm, was approved in September 2005. The close proximity of both sites effectively makes them a single site.

AMEC has now produced extra material contained within an Addendum to the original E.I.A. However, a local ornithologist has been monitoring the area as part of a larger raptor work study area.

1. The site remains nationally and regionally important for high risk species of raptors, which are afforded special protection. The SEA Directive 2001/42/EC supports the position that development should avoid areas with a high density of raptor activity, especially core areas of individual breeding ranges (Drewitt and Langstone (2006)
2. Field work in 2006 indicates the following:

·         Golden eagle – The Edinbane/Ben Aketil Wind farm sites are now the core habitat of a territorial pair

·         White tailed eagle – extensive and increasing use of the area by this species. Most significant observation of 7 different birds thermalling over the site, birds being observed in the area for a period of 2 hours. Strongly contrasts with the findings of Natural Research in the Addendum, which reports only 41 minutes of WTE activity in their August – December observations. Because of expanding WTE population much work is required to understand the potential implications for this high risk species.

·         Hen Harrier – 9 territories within 5.6km of the site, 1% of UK population and therefore sufficient to qualify as an SPA.

·         Merlin – 6 merlin territories within 3km of the nearest turbines representing the highest known breeding density of this species on Skye and Lochalsh

The Addendum

The information contained within the above appears confusing and in places unsubstantiated by raw data.

1. The collision risk rate has been calculated using data collected by the discredited ornithologist Stephen Lawrence between February and August 2005 and Natural Research between August and December 2005.
2. The Lawrence data indicates an estimated annual mortality rate of 0.447 eagles per year, whilst Natural Research predicts an annual mortality rate of 0.641 eagles per year, 43% higher than the calculations of Lawrence. It would have been expected that a higher level of activity on the site between the months of March to May would have been recorded in line with the findings of local observers. The major discrepancy between the two sets of data has resulted in a major skew, thus reducing the predicted collision risk.
3. No data appears to have been collected for January. However, the estimated collision risk calculated over 12 months is based on only 11 months figures and is therefore probably artificially reducing the estimated collision risk.
4. In 2005 the British Trust for Ornithology was commissioned by English Nature to carry out an assessment of the SNH 'Band' model. They found it had serious flaws especially in regard to collision risk and recommended it should not be used until further work was carried out.
5. The collision risk assessment is based on a 98% avoidance factor, a higher figure than Scottish Natural Heritage seems to have used for any other wind farm site in Scotland.
6. AMEC has reduced turbine numbers from 27 to 19 in order to achieve the required collision rate of 0.6 eagles per year. However, no individual turbine risk has been calculated and the turbines on the top of the ridge with the highest risk remain.
7. In conclusion it would appear that efforts have been made to artificially reduce the collision risk rate for golden eagles to comply with the requirements of Scottish Natural Heritage. However, the required 0.6 annual mortality rate would result in 15 eagle deaths over the 25 year expected life of the development, with an installed capacity of just 25MW. This is likely to result in the highest attrition rate in Scotland. It has also been established that the WTE is vulnerable to blade strike, as has been established in Smola in Norway and Brandenburg in Germany. It is also believed that there is no other wind farm in the UK with such a high density of hen harriers in such close proximity to wind turbines.