Power station approved
WORK ON building Shetland’s new £200 million power station could start later this year should the project get the go-ahead from the Energy Consents Unit.
On Tuesday, the council’s planning committee decided unanimously to raise no objection to the proposed development near Rova Head, just outside of Lerwick.
The decision was welcomed by Darren Hitchin of Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution’s, the Scottish & Southern Energy company that owns the power distribution network.
“Since Shetland is not connected to the GB grid, it is important that we carefully consider all options in order to find the best solution for our customers.
“The submission of the planning application is part of that process. However future arrangements for meeting the needs of customers in Shetland also require the approval of the energy regulator Ofgem.
“SHEPD submitted proposals for Shetland to Ofgem last year, which included our analysis on the proposed replacement power station, and we await their decision,” said.
The new power station will initially run on light fuel oil with the option of converting to natural gas at a later time.
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