Shetland windfarm - Viking Energy

[PressedCurdsOfMilk]

Well said Dratsy, the whole thing stinks ! BIG TIME!!

3 things stand out very clear from today's Shetland Times.

 

1.) Whilst they maintain that they have reduced the number of turbines to reduce impact in various ways, at the same time they also admit their will be 143MW of spare capacity in this cable. Meaning we may very well see a "wind rush" with more turbine erected from scousburgh to unst!

 

It doesn't take too long searching the web for examples of windfarm extensions.... you'll get a feel for the normal pattern of windfarm expansion. Generally the developer will bend over backwards to give the impression of caring for the environment and listening to peoples concerns. Eventually, after time, persistence , PR and attrition they get their application approved, then shortly afterwards, sometimes before work has started on building the first application, they apply for an extension... for example:

http://www.karengillon.co.uk/?p=142

It's very important not to be fooled by what you are being told by the developer today.

[justsomeguy]

Do you remember when Sullom Voe and oil was first mentioned and the opposition to that? And the ugliness of the fishfarms and subsequent rubbish/detritus lying along the shores? This will be much the same - except it will benefit the majority instead of the few....

 

We have seen in da paper today exactly who will benefit from this i cant believe everybody in shetland isn't demanding cheaper energy from the windfarm. More money in peoples pockets means more money to spend locally after all.

 

In an ideal world, yes Shetland would benefit directly from cheaper energy from the windfarm but there are reasons this isn't possible. There is an explanation for this on VE's own website, it should clear up any questions you have on the issue of cheaper electricity for Shetland.

 

http://vikingenergy.co.uk/your-questions-answered.asp#Q45

[keetiebairdie]

How/who can we get in touch with to officially register our opposition to the VE giant windfarm? In view of the short period of time we have before the end of the consultation, we need some more information on this.

[MuckleJoannie]

I would guess with the SIC planning dept.

[KTL]

People can register an objection to the project through the Scottish Governments Energy Consents Unit. The SIC is only a consultee for the windfarm, not the planning authority.

 

Email objections to: EnergyConsents@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

 

All objections must state their name and address. Project you are objecting to is Viking Energy Windfarm, Shetland. One person- one objection, don't include several people on one response.

 

 

Send written objections to:

Energy Consents and Deployment Unit

Scottish Government

4rd Floor

5 Atlantic Quay

150 Broomielaw

Glasgow

G2 8LU

 

Info from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/Infrastructure/Energy-Consents/Support-object

[Stirrer]

People can register their support to the project through the Scottish Governments Energy Consents Unit. The SIC is only a consultee for the windfarm, not the planning authority.

 

Email letters of support to: EnergyConsents@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

 

All supporters must state their name and address. Project you are supporting to is Viking Energy Windfarm, Shetland. One person- one letter of support, don't include several people on one response.

 

 

Send written letters of support to:

Energy Consents and Deployment Unit

Scottish Government

4rd Floor

5 Atlantic Quay

150 Broomielaw

Glasgow

G2 8LU

 

Info from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Top.....ort-object

[Njugle]

Can anybody answer me this, please:

 

If the VE scheme creates between £12 and £25 million a year, as projected, for the Charitable Trust, is that a gross figure, or net? That is, will the bank loans that are funding the other £300 million (or whatever it is now) of the total cost come out of that figure, or is that after loan deductions?

[Skunnered]

^^All operating and financial costs will be paid by the operating company VE, before VE can pay across any share of profits, so any share of profits received by the CT will be clear profit, or dividend, and they should have no further costs to pay out against it.

[Njugle]

So their gross profit annually must be huge, to allow that size of dividend to the CT after servicing loans of such proportions, costs and wages and yielding a return to SSE.

 

Incidentally, community benefits, if appropriately negotiated, would be paid from the initial revenue, regardless of profitability, following the model used elsewhere in the country.

[crofter]

Is it tax free?

[Ghostrider]

Seeing as we're doing questions, here's two I want the answers to....

 

1) If so called "green" electric didn't attract a government subsidy, what would the projected profitability of Viking be?

 

2) How come crofters and farmers have taken endless stick and been the butt of humour for decades for being "subsidy junkies", yet nobody bats an eyelid or has anything to say about Viking being the same.

 

As long as a minority of the population are producing food for everyone and being subsidised to do so, its okay for some of the rest to take a pop as they please. But once its everybody producing electric for everyone and being subsidised for it, then thats fine. A cynic might well find cause to use the word "hypocrite" in such a situation.

[Kavi Ugl]

The truth is this is a mega get rich scheme that has been concocted by a few individuals and you only need to look at those who are involved in it to see who they are.....and what saddens me in all this is the fact that they have the gaul to try and sell the land from under our feet for their own profit. Community benefits?. A real community benefit would have been free electricity for every home in Shetland but like the oil money in truth it will just end up in the pockets of the few.

 

The hills are already showing themselves to be unstable by the various peat slides that have taken place and they want to tear them open(and surely make what's unstable ever more precarious) with 10s of 10s of kilometres/miles of road.

 

Oh, and if what I see on the internet is anything to go by the great Global Warming con is unravelling by the day....The climate may be changing but it isn't "Global Warming" created by man.

 

Oh, and what heppened to the "if Shetlanders don't want it, it won't happen" promise??.

 

Mods, if what I've said is too close to the bone then just edit it.

[Skunnered]

^^The "Men in Black" will probably be knocking on your door very shortly!

[swc123]

Seeing as we're doing questions, here's two I want the answers to....

 

1) If so called "green" electric didn't attract a government subsidy, what would the projected profitability of Viking be?

 

 

Not an answer to your question, but we need to think more widely about why a subsidy is given.

 

Would the subsidy be there at the rate it is if we had not burned fossil fuels at an unsustainable rate?

 

To turn your question around, what would be the profitability of oil production if they had to pay the full cost of the impacts of their activities?

 

Is this subisdy not in fact just the additional cost we conveniently missed off/ignored from our burning off said fossil fuels? Unfortunately our "accepted" economic model has for too long ignored externalities such as the impact of burning fossil fuels.

[Njugle]

Is this subisdy not in fact just the additional cost we conveniently missed off/ignored from our burning off said fossil fuels? Unfortunately our "accepted" economic model has for too long ignored externalities such as the impact of burning fossil fuels.

 

I don't think that's fair. It's diverging a bit from the subject, but "we" have long been paying premium prices and surcharges for our fuel, hugely subsidising the country while also providing massive profits, year after year to the oil companies. At any point n the past 30 years the government or the oil companies could have initiated changed to this culture. I haven't ever accepted this other than by living in this country and paying my dues.

 

This is no other than claiming that I have to suffer a reduction in health care, education and other public services because we conveniently missed off/ignored the fact that the bankers were gambling on ghost horses.