Significant biodiversity net gain reported at Alyth substation

  • Thousands of trees being planted and wildflowers seeded on site

  • Resident osprey nest success with live camera link set up

 

Teams at SSEN Transmission are delighted to report that the new substation development in Alyth is forecasted to deliver a positive impact on the local biodiversity of the area, with a significant increase in biodiversity reported at the site.    

With thousands of trees being planted to help with screening the project as well as to enhance biodiversity, the team is also pleased to report that initial wildflower grass seeding is providing valuable habitat for local wildlife, including many farmland species of birds such as goldfinch, bullfinch, yellowhammer and linnet.  The resident ospreys in the far corner of the development are also thriving this year with three chicks hatched and a live camera feed installed to allow viewers to follow their progress.

The new SSEN Transmission substation near Alyth is being constructed as part of the enhancement of the overall transmission network, with main construction works getting underway last year.   Initial studies and monitoring for the substation development have highlighted a significant benefit in biodiversity around the site. Teams have worked hard to create various ecological improvements around the site which has helped to encourage native species of flora and fauna around the perimeter of the substation compound, contributing to a positive net gain in biodiversity.    

The ecological improvements include:

  • Plans to plant almost 5,400 local native species of trees such as rowan, birch, oak, pine, hazel and blackthorn around the site perimeter, helping to enhance biodiversity while also creating a natural screen around the substation to minimise visual impact.
  • Installing two bat boxes within the site’s tree perimeter to create roosting places for the species.
  • Installing nine bird and red squirrel feeders around the site perimeter fence.
  • Sowing native grass and meadow flower seeds over the site perimeter bunds to offer site landscaping and increase biodiversity for insects and other wildlife in the area. Not only does this help the local species of farmland birds with sheltering, nesting and feeding in the area, but it also helps to reduce the potential of soil erosion and limit any silt pollution. 
  • The team have also created a number of habitat piles of fallen branches and wood from nearby trees, which are a great place for biodiversity.

Alyth substation is of course also home to a pair of resident ospreys, who return from Africa each year to breed on top of a special purpose-built nest platform on the edge of the substation boundary. 

The platform was created in 2014 as an alternative home for the ospreys ahead of the start of a programme of upgrade and reinforcement work to the transmission East Coast network, after the birds were spotted nesting at the top of one of SSEN Transmission’s 48-metre-high electricity towers which was scheduled for maintenance as part of the project. 

To help share the experience of watching one of Scotland’s iconic species with a wider audience, the site team have installed a live webcam to provide a birds-eye view of the local osprey residents before they returned this year.  The live link has attracted over 10,000 views online so far, meaning the local community and osprey enthusiasts alike can follow their progress this year.

Recently the pair have successfully hatched three chicks, and the site team are keeping a keen eye on the birds in the hope of them successfully taking flight from the nest later this year.  Ornithologists are on site every day to monitor the ospreys and make sure that the ongoing works causes them no disturbance.

SSEN Transmission has made sector-leading biodiversity commitments on all projects, introducing a policy of no-net-loss in biodiversity on all projects gaining consent from 2020, and biodiversity net gain on all new projects from 2025.  This means teams will leave the environment no worse than when they found it, and where possible making it even better, leaving a positive environmental legacy at all SSEN Transmission sites. 

Lead Project Manager Archie Munro said: “We’re absolutely delighted that our initial reports are indicating an increase in biodiversity at our Alyth site, with a current forecasted figure of 50%, a huge achievement and a positive environmental legacy of our work here. 

“It’s wonderful to see the wildflower meadow proving to be a rich source for farmland bird species such as bullfinch and yellowhammer, and the feeding boxes for red squirrels and birds around the site perimeter are well used by the local wildlife.

“We’ve been working closely with environmental experts to ensure we are taking the right steps to improve local flora and fauna at every stage, as well as to protect our resident ospreys which have gained quite a following locally, and we are delighted the osprey webcam is already attracting a lot of interest as we wanted to do something a bit different for this year.

“We have ornithologists onsite every day to observe the ospreys and check for any signs of distress or disturbance, meaning we are able to very closely track the birds’ development.

“As we continue to develop Alyth substation and our wider investment plans to deliver a network for net zero emissions across the north of Scotland, we are committed to do so in such a way that both protects and enhances the local biodiversity in the areas in which we operate.”

The construction of the Alyth substation is part of a wider scheme to upgrade the East Coast Transmission network. Once complete it will enable the connection of new renewable generation to the grid, helping to facilitate the transmission to net zero emissions.  The project at Alyth is on course to be completed in winter 2023.