Wind farm test bed?
The DECC consultation paper on Electricity Market Reform asks if Shetland, along with Orkney and the Western Isles, should be treated as a special case for renewable energy projects (Westminster Boost for Viking Energy; SN 16/5/14).
It cites the Baringa/TNEI report of 2013, which envisages 1600MW of wind energy being installed in Shetland by 2030, ie. about four times the amount of the Viking Wind Farm’s capacity of its 103 proposed turbines.
It also argues that the special case status should apply because of “new and innovative technology” such as multi-terminal interconnectors and converter stations.
Meanwhile the Viking Wind Farm currently remains financially unviable. To reverse this situation therefore, Shetland is at risk of becoming a test bed for unproven technology and being literally covered with large wind farms (let alone offshore installations and connections).
The people who are driving this forward should be seriously asking themselves what this means for Shetland’s environment, landscape and communities – and remind themselves of the deep social divisions and unhappiness that have already been created by the Viking Wind Farm project.
James Mackenzie
Vice-chair
Sustainable Shetland
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