News / Power plant before planners
PLANS for a new 120 megawatt power station to be built north of the Greenhead Base, just outside Lerwick, will come before councillors next week.
In a comprehensive report before Tuesday’s planning committee councillors are asked to raise no objections to the proposed development by Scottish and Southern Energy.
The final planning decision however sits with the Energy Consents Unit, in Glasgow.
The power utility submitted plans to replace Lerwick’s existing 67 megawatt power station to the Scottish government in September last year.
The new power station could run on natural gas or light fuel oil and will significantly reduce Shetland’s high carbon footprint.
It will further reduce its environmental impact by feeding excess heat into the Lerwick district heating scheme.
The old power station, built in 1953, is due to close in 2017. Building the new power plant is estimated to take 32 months.
The plans include a steel-framed building to house engines, boilers, turbines, generators, transformers, offices and welfare facilities, with two 73 metre chimney stacks and tanks able to store up to 17,000 tonnes of light fuel oil.
Parts of the 33 hectare site will have to be dug out of the hill with the rock to be used to reclaim part of the neighbouring Bight of Vatsland.
SSE have said that during peak construction as many as 400 workers could be employed on site.
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