Shetland windfarm - Viking Energy

[fionajohn]

The pilot study area is presented in VE's Habitat Management Plan, and potential members of the independent advisory group are mentioned in it as well I think.

But what VE said in that excerpt above, about MSC and Dr. Birnie still irks me! He did not say that "none of the blanket bog...could be described as pristine." He actually wrote that, "It would...be inappropriate to describe the blanket bog within the...site as being entirely 'pristine'."

He qualified this by stating: "One of the concerns relayed to me [presumably by VE] was that the Viking Windfarm site was generally perceived to be 'pristine blanket bog'", going on to state that this was clearly not the case.

IMHO, the introduction of the term "pristine" was not very helpful. The crucial thing about blanket bog is whether it is active (i.e., capturing carbon) or not. In fact much of the site that was surveyed was found to be active bog. Some of this was "recovering", meaning that it had been eroded or "modified" but was becoming active again. The key to that is the presence of vegetation in the form of sphagnum moss and cotton grass.

At no point in his report did Dr. Birnie estimate "that the greenhouse gases already escaping from the wind farm site could be as much as those from one of the major industrial complexes in Shetland." That assumption was made elsewhere in the Addendum.

Finally, Shetland Amenity Trust, among others, has been undertaking some small-scale peatland restoration measures (there is non-windfarm funding available for this now).The results, to my mind, have been surprisingly encouraging. But applying the measures to large areas of eroded hilltops...not easy!

someone methinks is riding on the back of findings looking for a sum of money by writing a thesis on the subject ...untill we get freak monitary values on the subject will we learn the truth 

[James Mackenzie]

In response  to paulb: You say that peat instability has been introduced as a red herring by VWF objectors. I beg to differ: the concern is very real.

You imply that experts would finalise road routes etc. Indeed they would, to fulfil conditions and the recommendations of advisers. BUT the routes and turbine sites have already been investigated and chosen, and can only be deviated from by "micro-siting" (I forget by how much but it's something like 50 metres max.), otherwise the planning consent would be void, or at least would require a whole lot of new assessments.

The other thing is, it's generally accepted that modified/degraded/eroded blanket bog, whether through over-grazing, muirburn, drainage, or anything that adversely affects the integrity of the hydrology of the blanket, increases the risk of instability. And developers should heed the climate (past,present and likely future) and its effects.

I still think a lot of folk don't understand the scale of what VE and SSE propose. For example the interconnector cable(s) on land are now supposed to follow road routes through the 'Kergord' sector of the windfarm. I recall that the track for this has to be something like 10 metres wide, with frequent concrete inspection or jointing chambers, and the peat will have to be replaced by sand, because of the former's high heat conductivity. That's in addition to 10m and 6m wide roads. Incidentally, if these are 'floating' on reasonably level as opposed to sloping ground, some of this is so gullied and hagged, I just can't believe it's possible. Also floating roads have been shown to sink under the loads they have to support, thereby further disrupting hydrology. I think it's all an engineering nightmare!

[paulb]

james come and join in with the folks at Viking. its probably the best way your concerns can be met. if they wont work with you that will tell a lot. re siting if you were working along side them and one was very badly placed it would be easier to adapt it than just complain. if your not impressed by proposed route of tracks suggest an alternative route. we need it to be built to tje best possible standard. your group could make it a lot better.

 

if ian is a member it may be wise not to be walking near an active slip. you just cant tell if its finished. it seems odd for a pool to have formed on a ridge was it a past peat cut. 

[Ghostrider]

james come and join in with the folks at Viking. its probably the best way your concerns can be met. if they wont work with you that will tell a lot. re siting if you were working along side them and one was very badly placed it would be easier to adapt it than just complain.

 

I'd consider your suggestion ass about face. In a (so-called) civilised and democratic society, especially in a situation such as this where public money is being thrown round in immense quantities, that the onus is on the developers to approach and engage with their critics, not the other way around.

 

The developers are the ones proposing all the changes, and as such exclusively shoulder the burden of negotiating their own way forward, objectors are simply seeking that the status quo of Millenia standing is left as intact as possible. They have nothing to "prove", nor defend, as what they seek, is what is.

 

Its arrogant, and patronising, and highly offensive that a developer thinks they can just dismiss their critics with nothing more than thinly veiled sarcasm and gestures akin to how someome would flick a moth off their shoulder, which by all outward apperances has been VE's attitude to date.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Ghostrider

[paulb]

you want to alter stuff join in and it may just improve sit on the side moaning you will achieve nowt.  

[Urabug]

Wish they would hurry up and build these roads,I'm looking forward to going places I have never been before.   

[Ghostrider]

@ paulb: That's as it maybe, but when the planning authority have disregrded the advice of its own "officials" to give the go ahead, the main local backer, despite being the guardian of money belonging to "everybody", is run by incesteously hand picked muppets who have no obligation to engage with anyone, never mind justify their decisions, and the "front men" of the enterprise are part of a similar "closed shop", "joining in" is pretty difficult to achieve short of digging ones heels in and telling it all to bog off.

 

The greatest tragedy so far as I see it, is that the critics so far have been far too civilised, polite and "gentlemanly" in their heel digging, and VE have ignored it, not because the points raised have been addressed, but simply because they could. Had there been a lot more ass kicking right from the start, this fight would have come to a head and been sorted, one way or the other a long time go, instead of rumbling on and on, creating more and more divisions and deeper and deeper ill-feeling as it does.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Ghostrider

[Ghostrider]

Wish they would hurry up and build these roads,I'm looking forward to going places I have never been before.   

 

Don't hold your breath, by the time all this is built, if its built. The creeping paranoia about "terrorists" will have made it that there's a padlocked gate with a guard only allowing 'Authorised Personnel' on to the site. I'm surprised Burradale haven't gotten it already - maybe they were savvy enough to ferret out insurance that pays out on terrorist attack though, and don't give a monkeys.

[Urabug]

No! surely not barbed wire,heavy gates and massive padlocks in this day and age,more likely to be fancy cameras and number plate recognition so they can add a little bit to the income Ghostrider.

 

Terrorists --doubt if they would be interested in a few wind turbines!

[Ghostrider]

Terrorists --doubt if they would be interested in a few wind turbines!

 

Well, if VE is going to be such a vital contributor to Scotland's energy needs as its proponents try to sprootle the rest of us in to believing, you never know.

 

Anyway, even if terrorists couldn't give a stuff about them either way, since when did that matter to the scaremongers who make up the rules. Terrorists have never shown any interest it blowing the North boat to kingdom come, but that didn't stop them turning Holmsgarth in to something akin to Fort Knox's poor relation.

[paulb]

your forgetting the bomb at sullom voe. its quite possible its still a target. but dont be silly over turbines. ive still a few tin foil hats if you need one.  

[Ghostrider]

ive still a few tin foil hats if you need one.  

 

Do they come with long brims, so that I can pull it far enough down I won't see any of the windmills when I have to pass them.

[paulb]

full adaptable. just close your eyes. it will make your journey more fun if brief.

[orkneypaul]

Do we really believe this will be built, 

Facts.

The cable across the Moray firth is costing nearly 1.2 billion .

Shetland was removed from this scheme to allow it to go ahead .

SSE/SHETL are not even competent enough to plan and build a small power station on Shetland so what makes them think they can get the go ahead from OFGEM for a huge project like the interconnector.

SHETL claim Shetland will be connected to the moray cable but the national grid has already consented for over 800 MW on the 1200MW line across the Moray firth from renewables in Orkney the Pentland Firth and Caithness (Shetland needs 600 MW).

SSE claimed Shetland Interconnector would cost 600 million yet the peedie line accross the Moray firth has cost nearly double at close on 1.2 billion because new regulations mean undersea cables have to be buried.

I could go on and on but I am so confident this will not go ahead that I have bought a house within 1KM of a proposed turbine.

The sooner the trust get out of this  white Elephant the better and look at investing in local people with more modest ideas especially in manufacturing, they really do need to get their heads out of the clouds and their asses and take a reality check.

[paulb]

a large turbine farm will be built. it may not be by us but it will be built. as will one on yell fetlar and unst. alternative is what. 2 billion pound power plants.