Also in the news / Power cuts, community benefit and more…
ENGINEERS from SSEN Distribution have been called out several times over the last 48 hours to fix power cuts across Shetland.
Around 4,000 homes and businesses in the north of the isles were without power for a time on Wednesday morning after what was described as a “transient fault” on the company’s main network.
Supplies were restored within 20 minutes, a company spokesperson said.
Later the same day the lights went out for a short period of time when lightning struck parts of the network in the Vidlin. Most supplies were reconnected automatically thanks to the company’s ‘auto-reclose technology’, but some households in the area were off for two hours.
A spokesman for SSEN added: “We appreciate that any interruption to customers’ power supplies can be frustrating, and this auto-reclose equipment is designed to minimise the time that power is off; were it not for auto-reclose technology, in a lot of cases engineers would need to travel to site to turn the power back on manually, meaning a longer time that customers would be without power.”
The was also a fault on a section of the overhead line in Burra last night, which affected 198 properties with all supplies restored within one hour and 35 minutes.
THE COMPANY building a number of large energy transmission projects in the north of Scotland, including Shetland interconnector, is set to launch a £10 million community benefit fund next year.
SSEN Transmission said it had a large positive response to their plans during a six-week consultation, although only 14 responses were received from Shetland.
The company said it was working with communities across the north of Scotland to channel funds into vital local projects.
“It’s really important that we recognise the vital role that communities play by hosting critical national infrastructure, and getting this fund up-and-running will be a big step in doing just that,” the company’s director of customers and stakeholders Christianna Logan said.
The north of Scotland transmission network is set to provide over 15 per cent of the UK’s total carbon reduction required to deliver 2050 net zero targets.
A WREATH laying ceremony will take place at the Quarff war memorial on Sunday at midday.
It will follow a service at the Cunningsburgh UF church.
As previously reported the usual wreath laying ceremony at the war memorial in Lerwick will take place this weekend.
There is also a ceremony planned at the Shetland Bus memorial in Scalloway at 3pm on Sunday.
SHETLAND Composites has applied for planning permission for a new workshop as it looks to downsize.
The company, which designs and manufactures industrial products in composite/glass fibre for the oil and gas, renewables and aquaculture sectors, is planning to build the workshop on its existing site near the marts in Lerwick.
The current workshop is due to be leased to another company.
THE VALUE of Scottish salmon exports has risen by seven per cent in a year as international demand continues to grow.
New HMRC data analysed by trade body Salmon Scotland shows that for the first three quarters of 2023 to September there was a rise of £33 million to £478 million.
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