Fife communities blighted by a horrendous ash cloud will finally benefit from a £100,000 “goodwill pay-out”.
Villages in the west of the region endured thick dust emissions for around a month in 2017, with cars, windows and gardens covered.
Elderly people in Low Valleyfield, High Valleyfield, Torryburn, Newmills, Culross and Kincardine were advised to stay indoors as a result of the incident.
And schoolchildren weren’t allowed out to play during breaks in lessons.
The dust came from three ash lagoons at the former coal-fired Longannet Power Station, which are now being capped.
The lagoons store the station’s fuel ash but an exceptionally dry spring saw it blown for several miles.
And the payment from ScottishPower Generation (Assets) Ltd (SPGAL) follows a campaign from people living in the affected villages.
SPGAL took over ownership of the Valleyfield ash lagoons in 2019 from former operator ScottishPower Generation Ltd, which owned them at the time of the dust cloud incident.
Its “voluntary goodwill gesture” is in recognition of the significant impact on communities.
And it means community councils in the area will each receive £10,000.
However, they must spend the money on environmental projects.
And Fife Council will hold an additional £50,000 fund to provide grants for similar projects in the affected communities.
Dust clouds were ‘like a snow storm’
While some people would have preferred to use the money as they saw fit, the gesture has been broadly welcomed locally.
Rab Mckenzie, vice-chairman of Low Valleyfield Community Council, said the 2017 ash clouds were “really horrendous”.
“I remember having to drive round the village and it was really, really thick,” he said.
“It got in your eyes and your throat.
“The dust was on your windows and all the cars and there was no washing to go out.
“If you had coloured towels, they came back in white.
“You would think it was a snow storm.”
Meanwhile, many locals feared the dust contained toxic chemicals such as asbestos.
However, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said this was not the case.
Mr Mckenzie added: “Some people would have liked to have seen the gala getting some money and things like that.
“But it’s £10,000 for each community council so that’s not bad.”
And Willie Ferguson, chairman of the Valleyfield Liaison Committee, said: “This gesture of goodwill will help Valleyfield communities realise projects that make a real, tangible difference to our local environment.”
Enforcement action over Valleyfield ash lagoons incident
Following the 2017 incident, Sepa served enforcement notices on ScottishPower Generation Ltd.
The company complied, and then Sepa considered taking further action.
However, in recognition of the SPGAL funding, it has now decided this is no longer necessary.
Ian Buchanan of Sepa said: “We are pleased to see this action being taken for the environment and the communities surrounding the former Longannet Power Station.”
And Lisa Moir, ScottishPower’s site lead at Longannet, added: “We’re pleased this gesture of goodwill is being directed to support environmental initiatives within the Valleyfield communities.
“We hope these projects will leave lasting legacies for years to come.”
