According to the BBC News website (Scotland) it looks as if the powerline will be given the go ahead in the next few weeks.
I really feel this is the wrong choice. It seems that very little resources were put into exploring other options, like burying the cable, or a sub-sea route.

The Highlands depend on tourism, as there is very little in the way of industry. Destroying the visual aspect of a large area of the landscape, simply to send electricity to the power hungry south, makes no sense. Will the same number of tourists come to see miles of huge pylons?

Once the line is up and running, i fear it will be the green light for other developements that will access it.

Our local paper reported the news last week. Many campainers in Stirling have had a big disapointment.

I sincerely hope the fight is not over yet...

MCofS 's reply from last week:

http://www.mcofs.org.uk/news.asp?s=2&id=MCS-N10361&nc=Access%20and%20Conservation

The fight is not yet over. The Beauly-Denny Group (for which I'm the MCoS representative) has not given up and is asking opponents of the pylons to write to Alex Salmond to object:

Office of the First Minister
St. Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
email: FirstMinister@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

If you haven't already done so, i would urge everyone to complain to the address Chris has posted. Especially if you live in Scotland. Nothing frightens politicians more, than the thought of losing votes.
Five minutes of your time to send an e-mail could make all the difference.

Sad news. Go-ahead has just been announced. More info on the TGO website soon.

Even though i knew it was coming, it is still a sickener. I really fear that there will shortly be no place left without some ugly lump of metal in view.

See my last post in the Energy Consumption thread

I have never been either opposed or a supporter of this project. I was concerned today however when it was agreed that in 15 years time there will need to be an upgrade to a sub sea line on both the west and east coasts of Scotland to take more energy. Surely pulling forward this upgrade or even double the cappacity of these upgrades would mean the Beauly to denny powerline would not be required.