Energy / Girlsta wind farm developer interested in shared ownership
However a councillor for the Shetland Central ward says the proposed three turbines are ‘just further accumulation of proposed energy infrastructure spreading across our landscape’
THE DEVELOPER of a proposed three turbine wind farm in Shetland’s Central Mainland says it is interested in shared ownership and would welcome discussions with communities.
However, a local councillor has said news of three large turbines being proposed in her ward makes her “heart sink” – given that they would be located not too far from the Viking Energy wind farm, and other new energy infrastructure.
Moraig Lyall, who represents Shetland Central, was commenting after initial plans were revealed for three turbines up to 150 metres in height in between Sand Water and the Loch of Girlsta.
She was speaking prior to news on Monday that she was to throw her hat into the ring for the Liberal Democrat candidacy for Shetland for next year’s Scottish Parliament elections.
The owner and developer of the Girlsta project is Wind2, a renewable energy developer with bases in Scotland and Wales.
Their proposed site location is on the other side of the A970 from the southern end of SSEN Renewable’s 103-turbine Viking wind farm.
They would also be located near to new overhead electricity lines which have been installed as part of SSEN’s Kergord-Gremista project.
Councillor Lyall said this was “another outside company coming and thinking it can make money out of despoiling the Shetland landscape with significant impact on the community”.
She said it “may be only three turbines” but after the news came shortly after a consultation event for the Neshion development in the North Mainland, “it’s just further accumulation of proposed energy infrastructure spreading across our landscape”.
A representative from Wind2 confirmed earlier this month that the Girlsta development would have a capacity of around 15MW, and that power would go into the grid – with a grid offer in place to that effect.
No planning application has been submitted and at this stage the developer has only sought an environmental impact assessment screening opinion.
Meanwhile Shetland’s sole Green councillor, Alex Armitage, said “had these three turbines been proposed as a community-owned project, then this should be considered – otherwise, no”.
The Shetland South member said every company owned turbine “comes at the expense of a potential community owned one”.
Armitage has previously praised North Yell Development Council’s five-turbine Garth wind farm, which puts profits back into the community.
Project manager Hannah Brown confirmed that shared ownership is something that Wind2 actively encourages at most of its other wind farms.
“It really does depend on if there is appetite for it in the locality and the economics of the project itself,” she added.
“We are at the very early stages of this project and would welcome discussions with communities if shared ownership is of interest.”
Two community councils are also in the early stages of exploring how they could take a share in the proposed Mossy Hill wind farm outside Lerwick, which is being developed by Statkraft.
The recent A Fair Share for Shetland report also included references to community and shared ownership as potential future models of renewable developments.
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