Sustainable Shetland
Press release - Wednesday 18 February 2009. For immediate use.

Sustainable Shetland welcomes Burradale output figures

Speaking for Sustainable Shetland, Kevin Learmonth, vice chair said:

“We welcome these generation figures from the Burradale Wind Farm. They show that wind has a role to play in renewable energy production when built on suitable sites and connected to an existing local grid. These encouraging figures also show the great potential for community wind to heat schemes as proposed for Lerwick, Mid Yell and other communities throughout Shetland”.

“The 5 Burradale turbines have involved minimal road infrastructure, minimal peat disturbance and attracted little public planning opposition, even though the site does negatively impact on some local residents in the area”.

In contrast the Viking Energy project proposes a wind farm with up to 150 turbines twice the height of those at Burradale, 62 miles of roads through deep peat, fragile hills and steep valleys, a converter station covering an area equivalent to more than 10 football pitches, and up to 9 quarries with the equivalent output of the Scord quarry working for 11 years.

“Where the Burradale wind farm has been relatively moderate and sensible, the Viking Energy scheme threatens to be reckless and completely over the top.
“We urge people opposed to this scheme to sign our petition”.

Press release ends

For more information contact:

Kevin Learmonth
Sustainable Shetland
Tel. 01595 880503
www.sustainableshetland.org

Notes for editors.
Sustainable Shetland was founded in February 2008 and currently has 504 members. We believe that renewable energy has a role to play in combating global climate change, but that renewable energy projects should be fit for scale and fit for purpose. We believe that Viking Energy wind farm proposals would be damaging to the local environment and make poor economic sense.

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Sustainable Shetland is a campaign group formed in March 2008 in response to a proposal for a large scale wind farm in Shetland. We believe these large industrial projects are damaging to our environment. We believe that the Viking Energy wind farm endangers Shetland Community Funds, project costs are underestimated and project income grossly over stated.

We believe that the Viking Energy proposals are everything we do not need in Shetland: they are financially risky and potentially damaging to the Shetland environment.

We want to see sustainable renewable energy projects in Shetland which are fit for scale and fit for purpose, and provide real community benefit.

We are not an "anti windfarm" campaign. However we are strongly opposed to the Viking wind farm proposal. Other projects will be considered on their own merits.