Shetland windfarm - Viking Energy

[Spinner72]

Absolutely. The financial benefits to Shetland as a whole are impossible to deny, huge input to the local economy, improvements to infrastructure, boosts to tourism, and of course the benefits directly from the various community funds and donations. It is of course true that some managed to take a huge dent out of what could have been, but that is placed squarely at the foot of local groups.

I have spent my entire adult life unable to see stars in the southern hemisphere because of the flare stacks, think of all the hours we spent gathering up oiled birds, not being able to go on beaches because of tar balls etc etc.. Never once can I recall anyone pleepsin about compensation. 

Truth is, this "issue" if you want it to be one, is very little to do with the windfarm, and everything to do with social media.

[MuckleJoannie]

The oil industry did indeed pay compensation to Shetland - there is a document called the Disturbance Agreement signed in 1974. This is the document that offered the legendary 2p per tonne of Sullom Voe oil to the Shetland people. The sums received went into the Charitable Trust and have been invested in Shetland infrastructure and industry, plus being paid out in grants to the needy.

[Spinner72]

To be clear, I'm very aware of the financial boost the oil industry was and still is to Shetland, I just can't recall the kind of moaning about "all the money going to the oil companies" that we see with Viking Energy being said about Sullom Voe at any time in the last 50 years!

The amount of damage oil and gas have done and still do environmentally is astronomical compared to the windfarm construction, yet that's where people seem to focus. It's quite bizarre.

I think there is a hefty disconnect where people have forgotten how Shetland would be if not for the Oil industry. We are very used to all the benefits it has afforded us, and if that is to continue, it is vital we have other forms of energy to move on to, of which wind energy is the current option. I have no doubt just like we were consulted about the windfarm at school all those years ago, kids today will be being consulted on possibilities for the next big thing 40 years from now.

[MuckleJoannie]

I think it was the oil companies who complained about so much of their profit being drained by Shetland.