Letters / No more mega turbines
It seems that the inevitable (given the lead-up) has happened – the SNP government has decided to approve the Viking Energy windfarm project.
Since the SNP policy on renewable energy is clear and they were served this on a plate, this was entirely predictable and they shouldn’t be blamed – although many will find it expedient to blame them.
However any hope that anyone involved in the preliminary decision processes in Shetland might avoid blame through a public inquiry being called by the minister cannot now escape, since no public inquiry will take place because the SIC approved the application.
Despite the advice of their own professional experts (SIC planners oppose Viking wind farm – SN 9/12/10), within a week the SIC had contrarily decided to approve the planning application against this advice.
Maybe they don’t heed anything they haven’t been advised on by external independent consultants, who are paid hefty fees but without responsibility?
They could have withheld approval, guaranteeing a public inquiry, and then maybe you could have blamed the SNP government if it had overturned SIC policy.
And what became of the promised referendum? At least that could have indicated the true opinion of Shetlanders, rather than the wholly suspect motivations and paternalistic attitude behind the SIC decision to support the application.
As for the charitable trust, maybe “trust” is the wrong word. They state on their website: “Our aim is to provide public benefit to and improve the quality of life for the people of Shetland, especially in the areas of: Social care and welfare; Arts, culture, sport and recreation; The environment, natural history and heritage.”
Where in those aims does it allow for their involvement of Shetlanders’ funds in the speculative Viking Energy project, which many would see as detrimental to the environment, natural history and heritage rather than promoting and improving it?
Bill Manson, a councillor, trustee and chairman of the Viking Energy Partnership (so many hats!), has commented: “We are pleased that ministers have approved our application.
“The associated grid connection will unlock future renewable projects including marine energy and help us generate a whole new sustainable industry in Shetland.
“At the same time, we appreciate that not everybody will be happy about this decision and we want to reassure those people who opposed the application that we will continue to endeavour to minimise or mitigate any impacts.” (Viking Energy welcomes decision – SN 4/4/12)
Meantime commenting on the interconnector excess capacity (Turning Shetland into one large wind farm – SN 4/4/12), Billy Fox states: “What a lot of people don’t realise is that this is just the beginning. There’s a lot of talk about marine renewables, but actually they are a very, very long way off.
“All that can be built at the moment to help meet the cable’s capacity is more wind farms, and onshore wind because the waters off Shetland are too deep for current offshore wind technology.
“Proliferation is going to be a very real danger. We could see Shetland turned into a large wind farm.”
Probably the horse has well and truly bolted on the Viking Energy project and this will unfortunately happen now, but I hope that those with any influence in the matter including the newly elected SIC and Viking Energy (“we will continue to endeavour to minimise or mitigate any impacts”) will ban, or at least impose a moratorium on, any large turbine installation anywhere else in Shetland until:
(1) the impact of the Viking Energy turbines can actually be seen by all; and
(2) marine tidal and wave based projects can be developed and prioritised for spare interconnector capacity access.
If possible the marine projects should be guaranteed access, since they have the least visual impact and in the long run tidal generators are the only weather-independent renewable energy sources.
No additional mega-turbines proliferating on the rest of Shetland’s hills, please.
Actually with the excess generation capacity of the Viking Energy Project and the new gas turbine generator to be built at Lerwick (with gas piped there from Total’s Sullom installation – another environmental disruption?), is there any need for any turbines of any size other than for personal energy use?
Some responsible body needs to say enough is enough.
Robin Barclay
Sandwick
Shetland
and
Dalkeith
Midlothian
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