Shetland windfarm - Viking Energy

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

And I think we'll be seeing the changes in parliaments and subsidiaries to windfarms becoming less and less and less and less.

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

Edit:  subsidies, not subsidiaries! (Need more coffee)

[ArabiaTerra]

Well, I heard a rumour(I know, I know) that the laying of the huge inter-connector cable, and the spare capacity on it, opens the door to the building of a Nuclear Plant in Shetland.

 

Complete nonsense.

 

The capacity of the proposed Interconnector is 650MW. Viking will use 450MW of that, leaving 200MW spare. The average nuke is 1,000MW+. 200 isn't even enough for a single reactor.

[ArabiaTerra]

The crane(s) needed will be huge and with size comes wind and weather problems i.e expensive delays.  Not to mention the ground sinking under the sheer weight of the machines, if not the thousands of tonnes of stone itself layed down as access roads. 

 

I don't suppose that's even entered the heads of Viking Energy though.

 

Again, nonsense.

 

The required hard-standing pads for the cranes were there in the original proposal. And do you really think that no-one, anywhere in the world, has had to deal with the problem of large cranes on soft ground?

 

More groundless scaremongering.

Edited February 10, 2015 by ArabiaTerra

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

2013, from the BBC:

 

Cost of generating electricity £/MWh:-

 

Nuclear - £92.50 (takes effect 2023 onwards taking into account new nuclear plant)

 

Onshore wind - £100.00 (takes effect 2014)

 

Gas/coal generated - £55.05 (takes effect 2014)

 

Approximately 25,000 jobs being created in building a nuclear power station - how many for VE?  Oh, 1,400 during construction and how many after construction?

[Ghostrider]

 

Well, I heard a rumour(I know, I know) that the laying of the huge inter-connector cable, and the spare capacity on it, opens the door to the building of a Nuclear Plant in Shetland.

 

Complete nonsense.

 

The capacity of the proposed Interconnector is 650MW. Viking will use 450MW of that, leaving 200MW spare. The average nuke is 1,000MW+. 200 isn't even enough for a single reactor.

 

 

Aye, but. Considering nobody has actually signed a cheque for it yet, what is currently "proposed" is simply an item on a wish list. He who pays the piper, gets to call the tune, and somehow I very much doubt if someone comes along with a blank cheque to cover the cost of laying the wires, that is conditional on them carrying 2000 MW, and they get a Nuke site on this end of them, that anyone involved with VE would be game to tell them to bog off.

[bug]

Will(s) the Thompsons and Wards of this world be spinning (in their graves) 6' below this wonderful enterprise?

[paulb]

cost of decommissioning a reactor must be added to above cost. at worst we would be left with a hundred lumps of concrete. not a radioactive blot that will be dangerous in a 1000 years. coal/oil needs carbon capture to be usable once its.been added and if it works you again left with a waste product that is hard to deal with.

[Ghostrider]

if SS want to fight on find a way to take control of the charity trust. get it to be a real charity. not a bank for the SIC.

 

Far, far too late for any hope of that happening now. The opportunity to open that door was lost when the Charity Regulator approved the present composition of Trustees.

 

The SIC may no longer have majority control, in theory, but having allowed the SIC to hand pick the "independent" trustees. They predictably were very obviously very careful to only invite "Yes (wo)men" who could be trusted to ask no unfortunate questions and rubber stamp everything they were asked to by the SIC, and who will ensure only more "Yes (wo)men" replace them when that time comes.

 

Its gone from being an SIC organisation to an SIC and their puppets organisation, the former was bad, but at least there was something of an opportunity to get rid of some of them via not returning them as a Councillor, the latter is a system where the public has no influence over who becomes the majority of the trustees, and no avenue of redress against them if they're useless, like they have been so far.

[mogling]

I was forgetting, when Cameron was up here for a dip at Bannamin last year, he gave an interview to Radio Shetland.

 

 I mind him saying how important it was that we got an interconnector cable.

 

Why?

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

SSE's interim results issued Nov.'14

 

http://sse.com/media/274910/SSE-Interim-results-for-6-months-to-30-September-14.pdf

 

"Working on possible transmission links for the Scottish islands

 

Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles all have the potential to host large scale renewable energy

developments which could add significantly to the local economies and also contribute towards Scottish

and UK renewable energy targets. Major new transmission infrastructure is, however, required to get

the electricity they would produce to market.

 

SHE Transmission has engaged with all key stakeholders, including the Scottish and UK governments and

Ofgem, through the Scottish Islands Renewables Delivery Forum and played a leading role in the

recognition that all of those represented on the Forum have a part to play in finding solutions for this

exceptionally complex situation. The Forum has been successful in bringing greater clarity and better

understanding about what needs to happen before SHE Transmission can produce a robust needs case

upon which capital funding approval can be secured from Ofgem. This in turn has facilitated improved

relationships with key stakeholders around the Scottish islands issues.

 

For its part SHE Transmission has made it clear that, in line with its operating licence, it would be

prepared to submit a needs case to Ofgem for an appropriate transmission solution at the right time -

but making such a case without greater certainty on the scale of development and its timing is not

practically possible."

 

Roughly translated as "we're not committing to anything right now".

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/344446/UKG_ISLANDS_FRAMEWORK_-_15_August.pdf

 

"Energy

18. The three island groups are vital to meeting the UK’s energy needs. Oil reserves around the island groups are well-established, with significant facilities on Shetland and Orkney to support the oil and gas industry. The UK Government is committed to working with the Islands Councils to assist strategic decision-making on future priorities for the oil and gas industry. The Islands Councils have a clear interest in future decommissioning activity involving cost implications for local authorities, other major infrastructure alterations, environmental protection and marine safety.

 

19. The three Islands Councils are invited to send a representative to the UK Government-chaired PILOT Forum (the principal pan-UK government-industry body) for any meetings with a bearing on their interests. With agreement of the Secretary of State for Scotland and the PILOT secretariat, the Islands Councils may submit papers through the Secretary of State for Scotland to inform Forum meetings. The UK Government also proposes to establish and host a dedicated Islands Oil and Gas Forum for the three Islands Councils and industry leaders examining strategic priorities for the industry and their impact on the islands. This forum, supported by the Department of Energy & Climate Change, will consider future strategic and operational activity, environment and safety matters, onshore and offshore decommissioning activity relating to the islands and support for community benefit. The islands have an important role supporting the oil and gas industry to thrive and succeed, and the UK Government will encourage industry to mitigate the impact of its activities on local communities.

 

20. Harnessing the power of wind, wave and tidal resources on and around the islands will power renewable energy generation, helping to meet the UK’s low carbon targets and reduce dependence on fossil fuels in the long term. The islands’ contribution is essential both to UK renewable energy deployment and to world-class research and development in this new industry. The UK is a world leader in wave and tidal technology, with real opportunities for tidal stream and tidal lagoon power to come on stream over the next decade. The islands play a very important role in these, and other forms of generation.

 

21. As part of the UK, the costs of subsidy for renewables deployment are shared across all Great Britain (GB) consumers. These subsidies take account of the costs of connecting different generation to the transmission network associated with, for example, offshore wind and renewables on the islands. The UK Government is committed to a series of actions to support renewables deployment at scale on and around Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles, and will pursue specific measures to support development of renewables in areas of Scotland with considerable energy potential but challenging conditions for developers. As part of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) incentive scheme, the UK Government announced its intention that onshore wind generators on Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles would be eligible for a higher level of support to overcome the additional costs faced by generators, including underwater transmission links and significantly higher operation costs. Noting the obligations imposed by EU Directives, the UK Government is committed to pursuing state aid approval for this tailored CfD scheme, allowing the higher capital and operational costs to be shared across the GB consumer base and generating greater commercial viability for renewables deployment on and around the islands.

 

22. The UK Government shares the three Islands Councils’ ambitions for deployment of renewable energy and for research and development activity, and we will work to ensure that obstacles to securing the necessary infrastructure are tackled effectively. The UK Government is committed to working with the Islands Councils to assist strategic decision-making on future priorities for the renewable energy industry affecting the Islands. The UK Government is working through the Scottish Islands Renewable Energy Delivery Forum, involving the Islands Councils, Scottish Government, industry and other key partners, to help deliver substantial progress on renewable deployment. Agenda, remit, membership and frequency of meetings will be set in consultation with other partners in the group. The Forum aims to reach agreement on a set of actions and timescales to work towards connecting the Scottish islands to the GB transmission grid and thereby enable the development of renewable energy at scale on the three island groups. The future of transmission links to the islands is a principal topic of consideration, as well as other ways to promote the success of the industry. Discussions will also cover consideration of future support mechanisms, exploration of R&D funding possibilities and a review of processes to give needs cases the best chance of success.

 

23. The UK Government is committed to a UK energy framework that ensures security of supply and reduces dependency on fossil fuels, while protecting the interests of consumers. As part of the UK’s approach to managing the energy system as a whole, consumers in Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles benefit from schemes which support and protect consumers and businesses. Specific provisions exist to support the operation of gas networks supplying Scottish customers not connected to the main Great Britain (GB) gas network. Domestic and non-domestic consumers in northern Scotland also benefit from protection from the high costs of distributing electricity over a remote and sparsely populated area. Following the review of the Common Tariff Obligation, the UK Government concluded that domestic consumers in northern Scotland, including Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles, should continue to be supported, and the UK Government is consulting on the best way to continue support for non-domestic consumers on Shetland. The UK Government’s proposed intervention would provide long-term regulatory certainty for non-domestic consumers. The UK Government will work with the Islands Councils on how best to support these objectives in their areas.

 

24. The UK Government is supportive of the principle of ensuring communities benefit from exploitation of the resources in their local area and recognise the value of greater community ownership, in giving communities a greater share of the benefits of renewable electricity generation and increasing support for deployment. Through the Community Energy Strategy, the UK Government is supporting local authorities and community groups to lead action locally, recognising the lead role of the Islands Councils in securing equitable benefit for their communities, particularly for major development. The UK Government has a Community Energy Contact Group made up of expert practitioners from across the UK and, in addition, the UK Government has convened an industry-led Taskforce to work with the community energy sector. This Taskforce is developing an action plan for substantially increasing the offer of shared ownership of renewables schemes to local communities. In case this is not successful, backstop powers will be introduced in the Infrastructure Bill 2014/15. If exercised these powers would give communities the right to buy a stake in their local renewable electricity schemes. The right to the offer of shared ownership would give communities the ability to invest in the power system on their doorstep – reaping the financial investment and ensuring these developments stay tethered to their local communities. The UK Government will work closely with the Islands Councils to ensure that their interests are considered in this context."

 

Or alternatively, we need to meet our targets laid down by Europe.  Does that mean as long as a windfarm has capacity to generate electricity, they've ticked the EU box?  We'd like to sell you the idea that the community can reap the rewards and the profits ... but it also means if it doesn't make a profit, it'll be your money that has been lost and not our problem.

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

EU Directives regarding renewable energy targets:  http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32009L0028

 

Member states due to report progress June 2015.

[MuckleJoannie]

Orkney is now self sufficient in electricity thanks to renewables.

 

 

 

 

[JGHR]

http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/11118-sse-buys-stake-in-new-gas-plant

 

The business case for an interconnector cable just got a whole lot better.