First electricity transmission tower removed as part of project to enhance scenery in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park
Over the last 18 months teams from SSEN Transmission and Morgan Sindall Infrastructure have been laying new underground cables to replace sections of the overhead line running from Killin substation to Lix Toll.
Wednesday 15 March 2023 13:23, UK
The first of 32 electricity pylons around Killin has been removed as part of a project to enhance scenery within Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
The £22.3m project to remove historic transmission assets will see around five miles (7.8km) of overhead line cleared from the region.
Ahead of the felling of the first tower this week, over the last 18 months teams from SSEN Transmission and principal contractor Morgan Sindall Infrastructure have been laying new underground cable to replace sections of overhead line running from Killin substation to Lix Toll.
The continued groundwork will allow for the removal of transmission towers above Killin and the Falls of Dochart, as well as those crossing the A827.
The tower removal phase is expected to continue until May.
'Everyone will now get a real sense of what the project is all about'
Alistair McDonald, SSEN Transmission's project manager, said the electrical infrastructure in Killin was originally installed in the 1950s.
He said: "Before we even [thought] about removing the first tower, we had to construct the new underground section of the network, excavating trenches and laying ducts in which we installed approximately 4.5km (2.7 miles) of cable."
Mr McDonald added: "We are very pleased that after months of cable works, everyone will now get a real sense of what the project is all about and will see the towers come down one by one, over the coming months."
The work is part of SSEN Transmission's Killin VISTA (Visual Impact of Scottish Transmission Assets) project, funded by energy regulator Ofgem to mitigate the impact of historic electricity infrastructure in national parks and national scenic areas.
This is SSEN Transmission's fourth VISTA tower-felling project to be approved by Ofgem in Scotland, and the third one to be carried out in Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
Last year, 12 towers were removed from Sloy near Inveruglas, on the shores of Loch Lomond, and around four miles (6.6km) of cable was installed underground.
A similar project was completed at Glen Falloch near Crianlarich in spring 2022. And in 2020, more than seven miles (12km) of overhead line and 46 transmission towers near Boat of Garten and Nethy Bridge within Cairngorms National Park were replaced with underground cabling.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
'We look forward to seeing the improved landscape'
Stuart Mearns, director of place at Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority, said: "This work has already delivered landscape benefits in other areas of the national park and I am delighted for the community in Killin - and for visitors to that area - to see the first of these structures come down.
"We look forward to seeing the improved landscape in the coming months when all 32 towers have been removed."