Recent news

Advertising Standards Authority find against Viking Energy leaflet

Wednesday 11 November 2009. ASA, the UK advertising watchdog found that a Viking Energy leaflet delivered to every household in Shetland breached ASA advertising rules on four key points, as well as saying the ad should not appear again, the ASA also instructed Viking Energy Partnership that they:

• Should not claim 50% profits would stay in Shetland community.
• Should not claim £25- £30m into the Shetland economy
• Should not claim £18m profits to Shetladn Charitable Trust
• Should not suggest carbon payback of less than 3 years

Read our press release. Read ASA judgement in full.

Shetland Islands Council planning consultation events

These meetings were set up by SIC to take the views of the Shetland community. The meetings are intended to give all councillors a feel for what the wider community thought of the Viking Energy wind farm planning application.

• Monday 28 September. Brae. 18 for. 58 against. 5 undecided. (22% for, 72% against, 6% undecided)
• Tuesday 29 September. Aith. 15 for. 110 against. 3 undecided. (12% for, 86% against, 2% undecided)
• Wednesday 30 September. Dunrossness. 14 for. 60 against. 4 undecided. (18% for. 77% against. 5% undecided.)
• Thursday 1 October. Lerwick 49 for. 106 against. 2 undecided.(31% for, 68% against, 1% undecided.)

The conclusion from these SIC run meetings is that a minority of people, only 21%, attending support the Viking Energy wind farm. 75% of people attending the meetings opposed the wind farm. It is perhaps no surprise that few with "no opinion" attended the meetings. It has long been claimed that "if the people of Shetland don't want the wind farm it wont happen". It is now clear the people of Shetland have said no to Viking Energy's wind farm plans. The job of councillors is to recommend refusal of the planning application. Their job as Charitable Trust trustees is to halt the project. They have no mandate or moral authority to continue with the Viking Energy wind farm.</p>

Sustainable Shetland wish to thank all participants (for, against and undecided) for the courteous and respectful conduct at all who attended these SIC meetings. Everyone has a right to their own opinion, freely expressed. This project has already created too much division within our community, but we are all too aware that the best resource we have in Shetland is the ability of our community to work together for the common good.

Only when the Viking Energy wind farm is put permanently out of harms way, can our community truly come together again, and we can all work together for a more sustainable Shetland, not just on electricity supply, but also transport, housing, food and economy.

First major UK birds and wind farm study

26/9/09. RSPB Scotland, Scottish Government, Scottish Natural Heritage, and the Scottish Mountaineering Trust commissioned report, and extensively peer reviewed and published in "Journal of Applied Ecology". The authors studied 12 operating upland wind farms in the UK. It suggests that numbers of several breeding birds of high conservation concern are reduced close to wind turbines. If wind farms are sited inappropriately in areas where these vulnerable birds breed at high densities, then those populations may subsequently decline. Extract of study on RSPB site.

Sustainable Shetland lodge objection to Viking Energy Wind Farm

27/7/09. Sustainable Shetland lodge formal planning objection. Main objection here. Landscape objection here.

RSPB issue Viking Energy wind farm objection

24/7/09. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds issued their 42 page objection to the Viking Energy wind farm, not surprisingly damage to wildlife, and birds in particular feature high on their list of objections. But the carbon payback for the project also comes in for serious criticism. Full objection at RSPB web site

SNH issue Viking Energy objection

24/7/09. Government executive agency, Scottish Natural Heritage have lodged their objections and comments on the Viking Energy Wind Farm. Some areas of concern are not included as they consider this out with their official remit. Copy of SNH objection can be viewed at Shetland News web site.

John Muir Trust issue Viking Energy objection

22/7/09. The internationally recognised trust to promote conservation and preservation of wild lands, the John Muir Trust, has lodged a formal objection to the Viking Energy wind farm. Read their planning objection in full.

Shetland Amenity Trust issue Viking Energy objection

15/7/09. Shetland Amenity Trust have released their formal objection to the Viking Energy Wind farm. The Trust was created 26 years ago with a remit to safeguard and protect the landscape and environment and the natural and cultural heritage of Shetland. Read Amenity Trust planning objection here (PDF format). Read their accompanying press release here.

The wind farm proposal

Scale: Approximately 150 turbines with up to 540MW capacity.

Turbine size: tower 90m, turbine blade diameter 110m. Total height - tip to base is 145m.

By way of comparison, the largest of the current Burradale turbines is 71m high, Lerwick Town hall clock tower is about 22m and millennia old Mousa Broch is about 13m high.

Location: Shetland Islands. UK. Specific site, most of North Central mainland Shetland.

Size: Site area will be about 18 km north-south and at widest point 11 km East to West. (That's about 11 miles by 7 miles)

Area of site: 12,800 hectares (32,000) acres.

Development cost about £800m at June 09, up from £600m at April 09!

Cable to mainland UK ("the interconnector") £500m +

Converter station, site, about 200m x 120m. Buildings, up to 4 stories high.

Developers: 50/50 joint Project between Viking Energy Ltd (subsidiary of Shetland Charitable Trust) and SSE Viking Ltd (subsidiary of Scottish and Southern Energy). Each partner carries one vote.

Environment

Sustainable Shetland is very concerned with:

Loss of cultural heritage landscape. The site will be visible across much of Shetland. From nearly one end of the islands to the other. At night the site will more resemble airport runways than rural hills.

Lost and damaged habitats. Plant, animal and bird and fish species within and beyond the site negatively impacted.

Peat is a carbon sink. Peat takes thousands of years to form, and actively stores and absorbs climate damaging CO2. Damaging peat on this scale releases large quantities of CO2. It is madness to damage ancient peat deposits for a so-called environmental project.

This project will create an adverse impact on the landscape of almost all of Shetland. A generation will grow up knowing nothing better than hilltops covered with wind turbines.

At least 73 miles of access roads (some up to 40 feet wide) are planned, up to 14 quarries, concrete batching plants, several construction camps, and ongoing site infrastructure such as control and sub-stations, set down areas, crane pads, a converter station, turbine foundations and towers, will cause substantial damage on the immediate and surrounding environment.

The wind farm life span is expected to be 25 years. Decommissioning will be partial, site restoration will be experimental, untried and untested, and above all - partial. Roads, foundations, ditches and other non-standing infrastructure will be left in place for ever. This will continue to cause environmental damage and exacerbate peat instability and carbon release for generations to come.

Finance

Viking Energy represents half of project. Shetland Charitable Trust holds 90% of shares. 10% of remaining shares held by 4 private investors. Viking Energy share of project is about £360. Initial capital stake will be around £81m. Remainder of investment to be financed through debt, borrowing and possible debt-bond issue. Project finance style funding could mean less control, greater overhead cost commitment (funders may ask for guaranteed returns regardless of actual profit or loss situation) but without necessarily spreading the risk away from the project owners.

Up side: Viking Energy have recently abandoned any claim to profit. Instead they talk of "community benefit". A vague, amorphous notion which has never been justified with any real financial models. Project profit has been arrived at without knowing the selling price of their electricity or the cost of getting that electricity to market!

Down side: If the project fails, Shetland's exposure could be as high as £360m. With Charitable Trust total funds standing around £180m, this would spell financial ruin for Shetland now, and future generations to follow. It has never been spelt out where the initial £81m stake would come from.

There is a danger that current Charitable Trust spending of £12m a year would be curtailed for the first five years of the start of construction.

From the point of view of community funds, this project is a reckless gamble at the expense of the environment, landscape of Shetland. Read more on the wind farm finances.