New windfarm plans published
- The number of turbines has been reduced from 150 to 127. The total
capacity has been reduced from 540 MW to 475MW.
- To meet concerns the turbines likely to produce the least energy and have
the biggest impact on birds, habitat and landscape have been removed.
- Access tracks have been reduced by 14 km and two access junctions, at
Setter, Voe, and Newing, Nesting, have been removed.
- The overall construction area has been reduced from 314 hectares to 232
hectares. The completed windfarm will take up 104 hectares instead of 252
hectares. That is 0.56 per cent of the 18,700 hectares of the Central
Mainland
- About 67 per cent of the site is eroded or degraded peat already
releasing its carbon dioxide. Viking Energy will undertake work to reduce
the losses and begin restoring the peat bog.
- Carbon payback for the whole windfarm will be under a year. The big
reduction is because last year's much larger estimates were based on a
'desktop' study which assumed all the peat was 100 per cent pristine. Over
the past year Viking Energy has extensively surveyed the site and the new,
much reduced findings of carbon payback within the year are based on the
actual ground survey and reflects the poor state of peat in over two-thirds
of the site.
- The methods used to calculate the carbon payback timescale and the data
on which it is based have all be independently verified by the highly
respected MacAuley Institute in Aberdeen.
- The risk to birds has been greatly reduced, in particular for whimbrels,
red throated divers and Arctic Skuas. There will be a major habitat
management plan to encourage bird populations in other parts of the
islands
- Total cost of the windfarm is down from £800 million to £685
million but, because of increase renewable energy prices, the financial
benefits to Shetland have changed little.
- Average annual benefits to the islands are estimated to be £38
million including £23 million to the Charitable Trust, £12 million
in rent to landowners and crofting tenants, wages and supplies etc, and at
least £1 million in payments direct to local communities.
- The reduce size of the windfarm means there will additional spare
capacity on the proposed 600 MW cable to the National Grid on the UK
mainland. This will make it easier for other local renewable energy projects
to go-ahead
- Viking Energy agreed to a request from the Windfarm Supporters Group to
extend the public consultation period from four weeks to six weeks, starting
on 8th October and ending on 19th November. Shetland Islands Council has
another four weeks to reach its decision on the plans.
The map below shows in red the access roads and turbines that have been
removed.
We will be updating our website in the next week or so and there will be
links on the left and the other pages on our website to learn more about the
windfarm. We will also have details of how you can support the windfarm
Useful LinksViking Energy Addendum documents for download
(All the information on this page and the link on the left contain information based on the revised Viking Energy plans)
Windfarm Supporters Group, 7 John Jamieson Closs, Lerwick, ZE1 0HE. Tel:
01595 695663 Email: support@windfarmsupporters.org
New windfarm plans published
- The number of turbines has been reduced from 150 to 127. The total capacity has been reduced from 540 MW to 475MW.
- To meet concerns the turbines likely to produce the least energy and have the biggest impact on birds, habitat and landscape have been removed.
- Access tracks have been reduced by 14 km and two access junctions, at Setter, Voe, and Newing, Nesting, have been removed.
- The overall construction area has been reduced from 314 hectares to 232 hectares. The completed windfarm will take up 104 hectares instead of 252 hectares. That is 0.56 per cent of the 18,700 hectares of the Central Mainland
- About 67 per cent of the site is eroded or degraded peat already releasing its carbon dioxide. Viking Energy will undertake work to reduce the losses and begin restoring the peat bog.
- Carbon payback for the whole windfarm will be under a year. The big reduction is because last year's much larger estimates were based on a 'desktop' study which assumed all the peat was 100 per cent pristine. Over the past year Viking Energy has extensively surveyed the site and the new, much reduced findings of carbon payback within the year are based on the actual ground survey and reflects the poor state of peat in over two-thirds of the site.
- The methods used to calculate the carbon payback timescale and the data on which it is based have all be independently verified by the highly respected MacAuley Institute in Aberdeen.
- The risk to birds has been greatly reduced, in particular for whimbrels, red throated divers and Arctic Skuas. There will be a major habitat management plan to encourage bird populations in other parts of the islands
- Total cost of the windfarm is down from £800 million to £685 million but, because of increase renewable energy prices, the financial benefits to Shetland have changed little.
- Average annual benefits to the islands are estimated to be £38 million including £23 million to the Charitable Trust, £12 million in rent to landowners and crofting tenants, wages and supplies etc, and at least £1 million in payments direct to local communities.
- The reduce size of the windfarm means there will additional spare capacity on the proposed 600 MW cable to the National Grid on the UK mainland. This will make it easier for other local renewable energy projects to go-ahead
- Viking Energy agreed to a request from the Windfarm Supporters Group to extend the public consultation period from four weeks to six weeks, starting on 8th October and ending on 19th November. Shetland Islands Council has another four weeks to reach its decision on the plans.
We will be updating our website in the next week or so and there will be links on the left and the other pages on our website to learn more about the windfarm. We will also have details of how you can support the windfarm
Useful Links
Viking Energy Addendum documents for download
(All the information on this page and the link on the left contain information based on the revised Viking Energy plans)