Earba 1,800MW Pumped Storage Hydro Scheme

The British Lichen Society (BLS) has objected to the proposed Earba 1,800MW Pumped Storage Hydro Scheme in VC 97 (West Inverness) because it does not provide the expected Environmental Impact Assessment - see attachment below.

The area of the proposed development includes areas of the ‘well-lit acid watercourses with stable rock outcrops and low silt loads’ and ‘rocky lake shores’ habitats but the applicant has provided no information regarding this significance of these habitat types for lichens.

In the surrounding area the BLS records show lichen assemblages of international/national importance as well as species that are, for example, rare, threatened, and/or on the Scottish Biodiversity List (under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004).