Energy / Vestas wins Viking Energy turbine contract
SSE Renewables has entered into a long-term agreement with manufacturer Vestas to supply 103 wind turbines for the Viking Energy wind farm in Shetland.
Under the order Vestas will provide the 443MW wind farm with its V117-4.2 MW machines, a turbine model known for its ability to withstand extreme wind conditions.
The company has also been contracted to service the wind farm when operational with the ambition to establish a Shetland-based service organisation.
Once installed and operational, Viking Energy is expected to support up to 35 highly skilled, full-time local jobs in the operation and maintenance of the wind farm.
Turbine deliveries and commissioning is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2023 ahead of expected wind farm completion in 2024.
The Vestas turbine contract award follows the decision in June by project owner and developer SSE Renewables to invest £580 million in the hugely controversial onshore wind farm.
Once operational, the Viking wind farm is expected to be capable of powering almost half a million homes annually and reduce carbon emissions by half a million tonnes each year.
When complete, Viking will be the UK’s largest and most productive onshore wind farm in terms of annual electricity output.
Director of capital projects at SSE Renewables Paul Cooley said signing the contract with Vestas represented “another significant milestone” for the project.
“We are delighted to be working with Vestas again with whom who we have a significant track record of project delivery,” he said.
“The optimised V117-4.2MW machines provide the durability and performance that we require to ensure that Viking delivers to its full potential.
“Viking will be the largest onshore wind farm in the UK by output and will bring significant economic opportunities to Shetland and beyond including the ambition by Vestas to establish a Shetland-based service team providing high quality employment and apprentice opportunities.”
President of Vestas Northern & Central Europe Nils de Baar added: “We are pleased to continue our cooperation with SSE Renewables, an excellent partnership that dates back 20 years. It is an honour for us to contribute to the success of this landmark wind project.”
The construction of the wind farm development is now formally underway, with preparatory work starting this week.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -
- Remove non-local ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
