Work starts on new substation at Mossy Hill wind farm site
PREPARATORY work has started on a new substation for the Mossy Hill wind farm on the outskirts of Lerwick.
Led by Statkraft, the project will see the initial construction of the substation infrastructure before work starts on the wind farm itself later this year.
The substation will allow the project’s eight wind turbines to connect to the existing underground Kergord-Gremista link, operated by SSEN Transmission.
The Mossy Hill wind farm is expected to be complete and generating energy by summer 2029.
Statkraft’s construction manager Shane Donohoe said the substation was required to connect the turbines to SSEN’s existing underground electricity cables.
“It is a key milestone towards the delivery of the consented Mossy Hill wind farm, which is expected to see construction work begin on site later in 2026.”
The Statkraft wind farm will consist of eight turbines on land between Lerwick and Scalloway, each reaching 145 metres from tip to height.
By comparison, the Viking turbines are 155 metres.
Planning consent was granted for the wind farm in 2019, but it has since been revised down from 12 turbines – which would have had a total generating capacity of 48MW – to eight.
With the generating capacity of the wind farm decreased after the number of turbines was reduced, Statkraft reiterated that the community benefit from the development will be linked to installed capacity.
This stands to be at £5,000 a year per installed megawatt, but given there are now fewer turbines, there will be less paid out in community benefit overall.
Statkraft also has two wind farms proposed in Yell – Beaw Field and Energy Isles, both of which have consent, while it is proposing ammonia plants at Dales Voe near Lerwick and Scatsta.
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