A north-east farm has been selected as the proposed based for a smart metering base station.
The equipment would be installed at Beechbank Farm in Fordyce and would connect homes with the so-called next generation of gas and electricity meters to energy suppliers.
The devices provide customers with almost real time information on their energy consumption to help them control and manage their use, save money and reduce emissions.
Electronic communications firm Arquiva have submitted plans to build a new 40ft mast and a small compound to house the radio apparatus next to an agricultural building at the Banffshire site.
Documents submitted alongside the proposals said the smaller stations are vital because they allow the smart meter network to operate.
The supporting statement said: “Smart metering base stations need to be located where they can provide the connectivity for the smart metering network.
“This means they have to be relatively close to the communications hubs in consumers’ homes and businesses.
“The base station must be securely located and accessible for maintenance. They need an electricity supply and a telecommunications connection to transmit the data they have collected back to the energy suppliers.
“A smart metering radio mast located adjacent to an agricultural storage unit is needed to provide coverage to the settlement of Fordyce.”