Letters / A socially responsible project
I have been following with some interest the debate on the Viking Energy wind farm, and it seems to me to be a little one sided in this particular part of the press.
So that nobody tries to believe otherwise, I will state my view here and now.
I believe we should build the wind farm to help Shetland’s economy.
One day the oil will run out, and there is currently very little revenue coming to the SIC for the infrastructure in Shetland, but I’m pretty sure the wind turbines will all be obsolete long before the wind runs out.
To Frank: I will refer you to your own word in the Unprecedented judgement letter.
You refer to “Shetland Amenity Trust, Shetland Bird Club, and thousands of individuals” involved in the court case to reverse the decision.
But later in your letter you claim “In effect a relatively small voluntary group (though large in Shetland terms) carried on its shoulders, at considerable personal cost”.
So which is it, thousands or relatively few?
To Rosa: I think you should look very hard at what you really believe in.
In your Blind trust letter you state “significant financial stake in the Viking wind farm and only fools would expect a sober, impartial, rational and measured assessment regarding this – now doomed – wind farm from somebody who was hoping to rake in a few millions himself”, and in a previous letter (Legal history) you write “not by bringing riches to SSE shareholders, the ‘Burradale boys’, a few wealthy landowners”.
Now, I don’t mind at all that Mr Thomson stands to make “a few millions” from this, that after all is commercial sense. But more importantly, if the charitable trust is a shareholder then so will the people of Shetland.
We seem to make precious little from a lot of the money that has already been invested in projects in Shetland.
I see this as a socially responsible project; we have plenty of wind here and it is not going to stop anytime soon.
We may as well borrow some of its energy while it is here. It may well be a gamble, but it does look a better gamble than some of the projects (Norrona, Mareel and the like).
What I don’t like is the constant spin that is being put out against the VE project. Some views are very one sided and verging on being very personal attacks.
I believe in looking at the whole picture, not just how it will affect my backyard. So can we please have consistency in your views and opinions, otherwise your motives are confusing.
Jack Barclay
Unst
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