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Shetland windfarm - Viking Energy


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It should be a lot less costly at least - the same as the council does not design your house and access for you, but does check (more or less) that your design follows the spec.

 

Obviously the windfarm, and especially the peat issues are going to be a lot more complicated, but in the end that's the part the council are stuck with - make sure you get any planning applications in before VE (and/or the new Anderson)

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"Should" being the operative word I think. *If* VE engineer, by whatever means, assessments that are biased in their favour, and are presented in such a way so as to make that bias as undetectable as possible, Planning could well have an awful lot of expensive work to do, which might well be easier, cheaper and quicker done if they started from scratch.

 

Of course the other consideration is that VE = the Charitable Trust = The SIC, plus Planning also = The SIC....So, truly "independent" scrutiny is always going to be very lacking.

 

Due to the size and nature of the VE proposals, IMHO, to be able to have any real faith in the impartiality, and by consquence the relevance and validity of any assessments, they would need to be done by a body with no axe to grind whatsoever. Obviously such things would have to be paid for from within VE/SIC funds, but the choosing and briefing of the party/parties undertaking the work would need to be in the hands of an external body.

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As far as I know there's no real alternative built into the system, other than scrutiny when it goes to Edinburgh as it surely will.

 

I'd agree that it's clearly in VE's interests to present everything as rosey and gloss over any problems, in exactly the same way as any other applicant for Planning permission, but I'd still say it's a lot easier to spot flaws in presented arguments than to start from scratch with nothing.

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Recommendations as to whether VE should receive planning consent are alledged to be sought from the SIC Planning office, come the time. This was discussed during the public consultation. The Scottish Government have the final say, but they require local guidance as well, if I recall correctly.

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Letting Edinburgh of London give it the once over and the final "Yay" or "Nae" is fine and well, but they can hardly be considered wholly impartial either. Granted, they're better than an arm at the front of the local octopus rubber stamping what another arm round the back wants to build, but the preceived desirability of the prosposed development for the Government of the day, and whatever they consider will earn them most political capital will dictate their decision for a greater part, regardless of anything else.

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I work at home :-)

 

Being a fast reader and fast typist, and using some fancy software for many of the forums allows me to keep up suprisingly well.

 

These fancy web forums are awfully slow though. :-(

 

Slightly off topic but would you mind sharing what software you use? I presume it is an RSS reader of some sort. 2000 forums is still a lot to keep up with though.

 

2000 turbines would be easier to manage.

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I wonder how our neighbours would feel about a large scale windfarm embracing their isles?

 

http://www.orkneytoday.co.uk/news_item.asp?newsItem=4650

 

Robert Leslie 31/10/2008 17:12:00

 

PLANS to site three 900kW wind turbines at Merranblo, near Stromness, have been thrown out by Scottish Ministers.

 

Orkney Islands Council said it had today, Friday, been informed of the decision by the Ministers to refuse the planning application for the wind turbines, following last January's public inquiry.

 

The council says it will now consider carefully the contents of the accompanying report.

 

The seven-day public local inquiry in Stromness, in front of reporter Ian Lumsden, was called for by Scottish Ministers following objections from Historic Scotland over the visual impact of the proposed turbines on the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, which includes the Ring of Brodgar, Standing Stones of Stenness, and Maeshowe.

 

Applicants for the Merranblo development were landowner Major Malcolm Macrae and Barry Johnston of Stromness-based energy specialists Scotrenewables.

 

Orkney Islands Council gave planning permission to the project against its own planning department's advice, with councillors on the environment, planning and protective services committee saying the turbines should be granted because they would provide local economic and renewable energy benefits, and that any visual impace on the landscape and on the World Heritage Site would not be adverse.

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A classic media moment, Radio Shetland had a ball about it too. It is on one hand like comparing apples and oranges, while on the other you would expect that the mast had been secured to a standard far in excess of that which it might experience, just like a turbine. :wink:

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^^ Kinda what I was getting at. If they can't manage to secure a test mast to withstand what were, not particularly exceptional conditions for Shetland, for as long as they want it to stand, what does that say for their abilities to design and construct turbines that will withstand everything Shetland's weather may throw at them for 20 years or whatever. An, I think, extremely important issue to be reassured of, especially when its our money that will be on the line then, even more than it is now.

 

A pile of lattice galvanised steel lying upoa hits lug, when its still supposed to be erect, is hardly the kind of PR that inspires confidence in the enterprise.

 

If a man boddie wis ta faw doon laek yun afore da job wis fairly dun, da wife widna be very plaesed avaa. :wink:

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  • admin changed the title to Shetland windfarm - Viking Energy

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