Energy / Wind farm substation planned for outskirts of Lerwick
CONSULTATION events will be held next month to allow people to give their views on a proposed substation for the Mossy Hill wind farm.
The site selected for the 132kV substation is on land near to the junction at the top of the north exit of Lerwick which goes into Ladies Drive.
Meanwhile the developer of the wind farm has now also applied to Ofgem for an electricity generation licence for the project.
The 12-turbine wind farm, developed by Statkraft, is planned for land on the outskirts of Lerwick.
It was given planning permission by Shetland councillors in 2019. The application did not go to the Scottish Government as the generating capacity is under 50MW.
As part of the development there stands to be a 132kV substation, together with site access, landscaping and ancillary works, with the site located in between the A970 and the Staney Hill quarry.
It will connect the 48MW Mossy Hill wind farm to the new 132kV transmission cables which will pass through the site as part of the wider Shetland network which will be in place as the isles are connected to the national grid.
Work is ongoing on these cables in the surrounding area at the moment by SSEN.
A proposal of application notice says the development has been subject to pre-application discussions and is classified as major development by virtue of being in excess of two hectares and comprising an electricity substation at 132kV or above.
While the initial imagery appears to show a large site selected for the development, Statkraft’s principal wind project manager John Thouless said the substation is only expected to cover around five per cent of the area within the site boundary.
He said connecting Mossy Hill to the new cables being laid in the area will allow the wind farm to export energy directly into the new transmission system in Shetland.
“Statkraft is leading on this development, working closely with SSEN Transmission who will be responsible for building and operating the majority of the substation,” Thouless said.
“We look forward to discussing our plans with the local community, with the first public exhibitions taking place on 8 and 9 May. We will share further details on these shortly.”
There is set to be a consultation event at the Islesburgh Community Centre in Lerwick on Wednesday 8 May between 1pm and 7pm.
There will also expected to be an event at the Scalloway Public hall the following day between 9am and 3pm.
There also stands to be a second round of consultation in June.
Statkraft said earlier this year that it expects Mossy Hill to go live before the end of 2027.
It is one of three wind farms being developed by the company in Shetland, with the firm also behind plans for the Energy Isles and Beaw Field projects in Yell. Both of these have consent from the Scottish Government to go ahead.
Statkraft plus partners are also lined up to lease land at the former Scatsta Airport – with green hydrogen production mooted.
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