Marine / Kelp production plans for Yell Sound
DEVELOPMENT proposals have been submitted for a large scale marine regeneration project which will see native kelp species produced in Yell Sound.
Developer Shetland Carbon Ltd said it would help to remove carbon from the sea while also support the production of biofuel which could act as a replacement for diesel.
Native kelp species will be produced on long line structures, prior to expanding production through ongoing developments in submersible offshore equipment.
Shetland Carbon Ltd director Angus Grains said the project has been defined following extensive discussions with Shetland Islands Council as the harbour authority in conjunction with the marine planning department.
He said: “The main project benefits are two fold, in that the development brings significant marine regeneration and carbon sequestration opportunities within the confines of Yell Sound, which will remove significant volumes of carbon from the sea and enhance existing marine habitats, while at the same time developing volumes of feedstock production for ‘drop in’ biofuel production, a direct replacement for diesel fuel.”
Eleven works licence applications in total have been submitted for sites that have been located to comply with restrictions within the Sullom Voe masterplan, which was adopted by councillors in 2022 as planning guidance in the area.
A few years earlier councillors had given the green light for a masterplan to be created for the area as reduced oil tanker traffic meant a previously imposed blanket ban on aquaculture and other sectors could be lifted.
Grains said the sites are “sympathetically positioned to avoid impact to established fishing, shipping routes and oil and gas infrastructure”.
Eight sites have been designed to operate similarly to inshore long line culture and will look similar to mussel farms seen across Shetland.
Three sites are to be developed as pilot locations, to deploy semi-submersible equipment, which will be subsequently expanded via future works licence applications once the technology has been proven, to maximise the carbon sequestration opportunity.
Kelp produced from the sites will be processed for use as a key component in biofuel production, with the energy required being provided by the parent company’s recently approved new wind turbine on at the north exit of Lerwick.
Grains added: “A further part of the project will be the development of a new marine hatchery to allow the production of kelp spores in volume.
“Shetland Carbon Ltd hopes to work alongside UHI Shetland at the Marine centre in Scalloway, to utilise their knowledge and experience in the field of juvenile production”.
Shetland Carbon Ltd will trade under the Seagreen name, and is part of the North Fish group of companies.
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