Your report of last Thursday’s Sustainable Shetland public meeting missed what I thought was possibly the main news of the evening. The Viking Energy representatives said that the proposed wind farm could be connected to the Shetland grid.
Until now Viking Energy said this would not happen and all the electricity generated would be sent south via the inter-connector cable that would also bring power to the islands from the national grid.
David Thomson, from Viking Energy, told the meeting the wind farm could be connected to the Shetland grid if the necessary equipment was installed. This was certainly something I’d not heard before and it also seemed to take the Sustainable Shetland speakers on the platform by surprise.
If this is now the plan it is a very important change. Instead of the wind farm simply exporting all the electricity, Shetland’s main supply of electricity could be from a local renewable source.
Another topic of discussion at the meeting was the significance of only one inter-connector cable, with two circuits, and what this means in terms of supply to and from the islands and the capacity for other renewable schemes to use the cable. I felt this wasn’t clearly explained at the meeting – partly because I found parts of the discussion difficult to hear.
I think it would be very helpful if Viking Energy could confirm it is possible for the wind farm to be connected to the local grid and explain it in detail. Also it would be helpful to the discussion about Viking Energy’s plans if the significance of having only one cable, and its capabilities, were clearly explained.
Chris Bunyan
Gruting
9 June 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/06/09/more-information-please/