Controversial plans to build a substation dubbed a ‘big shed’ by protesters were unanimously renewed by East Lothian councillors at a virtual meeting.
Inch Cape’s proposals for a substation to bring energy from its planned offshore windfarm off the Angus coast, onshore at the former Cockenzie power station site were approved in 2019.
However the impact of Covid has meant delays to the project getting underway and as the original planning permission approached its deadline last month it was granted an extension until September.
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Inch Cape lodged a fresh application for the work which provides a further extension and was unanimously approved by councillors at a virtual meeting of the planning committee..
Members were told the application for renewal of planning permission was the same as the original application which had been approved by Scottish Ministers.
In their report officers said the only change since the original application is that the local authority declared a climate emergency in 2019.
They said additional work to investigate the climatic impact of the application had confirmed it would cause “climate forcing gas emissions” however argued that the benefits of the project outweigh the concerns.
Their report said: “The development is considered to have a significant overall beneficial effect and that the beneficial impacts of renewable electricity generated by the offshore wind farm that would be enabled by it outweighs the adverse impacts of climate forcing greenhouse gas emissions.”
Councillors made no comment on the application before voting to approve it.
