‘It’s just all about money’ – community councillors back public meeting on energy projects
Politicians will be asked to sign declaration calling for a moratorium
COMMUNITY councillors in Shetland have backed plans for a public meeting calling for a pause on all energy developments in the isles.
MSPs including Hannah Mary Goodlad and MP Alistair Carmichael are set to be invited to the meeting, which will call for an immediate stop to all energy projects “until a coherent plan and strategy are in place”.
They will be asked to sign a declaration which will call for a moratorium on any further developments.
The idea was brought to Thursday night’s meeting of the Association of Shetland Community Councils (ASCC), which brings together community councillors from across the isles, by Andrew Archer.
The Tingwall, Whiteness and Weisdale Community Council chairman said energy projects were coming forward in a “chaotic manner”, with “no proper plan in place”.
“There’s no regard for what communities want,” Archer said.
He added that he had attended SSEN’s latest consultation event in Voe on Tuesday, and said it had been “really depressing”.
“I left with a horrible sense of a massive juggernaut bearing down on us,” Archer added.
“The developers don’t have our interests at heart. It’s just all about money.”
Archer also said he had no faith in Shetland Islands Council (SIC) being able to “protect us from any of this”, saying he felt the SIC were “terrified” of SSEN.
And he also criticised the council’s recently published development charter for dealing with large-scale energy developers.
Archer said similar public events were being held across Scotland, and added it was “not about saying no to wind farms or renewable energy” every time.
“It’s about doing it in a way communities can agree with,” he said.
“Let’s just pause and wait until this is done in a controlled manner.”
All of the Highlands and Islands list MSPs will be invited to the meeting, alongside MSP Goodlad, MP Carmichael and Shetland’s own 23 councillors.
Councillor Moraig Lyall, who attended Thursday night’s meeting, said folk would be offered the chance to speak about the effect energy projects have had on them.
Politicians would then be asked to sign the declaration calling for a pause on energy developments, until a stronger plan could be put in place.
One community councillor who backed the idea was Annette Jamieson, who is chairwoman of Yell Community Council.
SSEN held two public events in Yell on Wednesday as it carries forward plans to build a new substation in the isle to facilitate two planned wind farms there.
Jamieson said there was “great concern” in Yell about the plans, and said the event in Burravoe Hall on Wednesday had been “absolutely crowded” with people who were “very much against what is happening”.
Elsewhere SSEN is proposing a large substation hub in Toft, another substation south of Voe, overhead lines and underground cables, and a second HVDC link from the Scottish mainland to Shetland – all part of what it calls a “Shetland Strategy” project.
A key reason behind the development are two proposed offshore wind farms to the east of Shetland, which stand to deliver power to the Shetland mainland and will need a route to export.
For Delting Community Council chairman Alastair Cooper, there were two sides to the argument.
“We’re between a rock and a hard place in Delting,” he said.
“We’re not necessarily wanting to see wind turbines, but Sullom Voe Terminal is in decline.
“There’s no point in building a new school [in Brae] if we’re not going to have the prospect of well paid jobs to keep folk there.”
He pointed to the Neshion energy park project as an example of one that quickly managed to win people in the area over when they listened to their concerns.
“All hell broke loose in Toft when they heard there was going to be turbines built, but they came back and listened to the community,” he said.
A local electricity discount scheme will see eligible homes and businesses in Toft, Brough, Mossbank, Firth and Graven offered a discount on their electricity bills.
“When folk heard that, folk were quite happy,” Cooper added.
ASCC agreed to support Archer’s proposal for a public meeting on a possible pause on energy developments until a coherent strategy is in place.
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