Shetland wind farm cleared by Supreme Court

• 9 years ago (2015-02-09)
• Junior Isles

Europe 1061 Renewables 752

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A huge prospective onshore wind farm in the Shetland Islands, which is expected to be one of the most productive in the world, has been cleared for construction by the UK Supreme Court after it rejected an appeal based on the protection of local wildlife.

The scheme, named ‘Viking’, was first unveiled in 2009 and will be built on about 50 square miles of moorland north of Lerwick, thereby exploiting the substantial winds coming off the north Atlantic.

Opponents state the project will have significant visual and environmental impacts, but proponents point to a small wind-farm north of Lerwick that holds a world record for its consistent electricity generation, as its five turbines have never dropped below a 50 per cent factor.

While the project still needs a major interconnector to export the generated power over to the mainland UK, Viking is expected to have a capacity of 370 MW (although its parent company, SSE, has permits for up to 457 MW) – enough to power 175 000 homes.

Campaigners against the project still remain furious about the Supreme Court’s decision, which also denied them leave to appeal to the European court, and they have stated that they will review their legal options.

On the other hand, Alan Bryce, chairman of the Viking project, said that it “can now concentrate on developing what would be one of the world’s most productive wind farms, to generate renewable energy and significant income for the Shetland community”.