Shetland windfarm - Viking Energy

[PJ of Hildisvik]

A billion pounds worth of public subsidies should keep the schools open

Another dumb question from the pro wf lobby!

[mate64]

We have been led to believe that the wind farm is the most contentious issue to hit Shetland for a couple generations. However, there have been only two posts on the subject in the last week and one was mine – this in a week when we’ve virtually had a referendum on the subject. Some will deny this point, but I am sure that if Mr Fox was now our MSP then the anti group would not be slow to make the connection.

 

We need a decision on this. What do the thousands and thousands of people who could not be bothered to vote think? Maybe thinking isn’t their strong point (just put that in to get a reaction!)

 

So I will try again to get this among the top threads:

 

How many turbines are necessary to keep one primary school open?

 

Someone must know, or is the question too hard?

[ISOT]

A referendum on what Mate 64?

 

I voted for Billy Fox by the way, not because he is anti windfarm but because I think he would do a great job for the electorate. I'm a windfarm supporter but thats not the only issue that is on Billy Fox's agenda although a few people would probably like to think that.

 

Cheers

[MuckleJoannie]

 

So I will try again to get this among the top threads:

 

How many turbines are necessary to keep one primary school open?

 

Someone must know, or is the question too hard?

 

The Viking money will go the Charitable Trust. Schools are paid for by the SIC. So the answer is:

 

Not Applicable

[KTL]

IF the Viking windfarm makes a profit, some money would go to the Charitable Trust. There is a mistaken assumption that the Viking windfarm WILL make money.

 

Its a business venture. Some work. Some don't. The higher the potential returns, the greater the risk.

[viking74]

Amazin views here in shaetlan.....oops haed on dirs a samun faerm here, ahl mov tae da nixt voe...ah whit a beautif-deary me annidir samun cage in dis voe!....on tae da nixt wan daen....surprise surprise! yit annidir samun faerm! windir foo muckle poo an pee pollushun is gaen atil evaery voe? ach weel, joost hae ta look up at da vast rollin hills.....ugh! wha pat dis gret ugly taerry rod here?..dis rods ir a owir da plaes ruinin da landscape an whit wtf! is yun windymills at dael yundir?...annidir eesoare! com ta tink o hit me naeburs hae a damn il'lik hus!...

 

whar du wi dra da line at tings ruinin shaetlans scenery?? am naedir fur ir agaenst dis windymills, du wi really need dem? is hit a viable busniss providin jobs fur shaetlan fok an cin help shaetlans economy den is it nae iddir is aa da samun industry dat his cages dat spoil da views in aa da voes?! an is fur envirumental issues, foo lang his yun flare stack up at sullum been pumpin hits naestys intae da air??..spik aboot global waermin! lest wir simmir is com aerly yipee!

[paulb]

its not true that all that voted for him are anti's. he had our 3 votes and we are pro.

if we are bothered about looks then all those mussel bouys spoil lots of views. Im sure there is a reason but why do they need to be black.

[Piddly]

Amazin views here in shaetlan.....oops haed on dirs a samun faerm here, ahl mov tae da nixt voe...ah whit a beautif-deary me annidir samun cage in dis voe!....on tae da nixt wan daen....surprise surprise! yit annidir samun faerm! windir foo muckle poo an pee pollushun is gaen atil evaery voe? ach weel, joost hae ta look up at da vast rollin hills.....ugh! wha pat dis gret ugly taerry rod here?..dis rods ir a owir da plaes ruinin da landscape an whit wtf! is yun windymills at dael yundir?...annidir eesoare! com ta tink o hit me naeburs hae a damn il'lik hus!...

 

whar du wi dra da line at tings ruinin shaetlans scenery?? am naedir fur ir agaenst dis windymills, du wi really need dem? is hit a viable busniss providin jobs fur shaetlan fok an cin help shaetlans economy den is it nae iddir is aa da samun industry dat his cages dat spoil da views in aa da voes?! an is fur envirumental issues, foo lang his yun flare stack up at sullum been pumpin hits naestys intae da air??..spik aboot global waermin! lest wir simmir is com aerly yipee!

 

Am sure there's some good points here but i gave up reading after the first sentence

[EM]

However, there have been only two posts on the subject in the last week and one was mine... So I will try again to get this among the top threads

Don't you think that with 4567 posts to this thread as well as many to other related threads, most points have now already been made? I certainly do. Give it a break please.

[mate64]

The Viking money will go the Charitable Trust. Schools are paid for by the SIC.

Thanks MJ.

 

Don't you think that with 4567 posts to this thread as well as many to other related threads, most points have now already been made? I certainly do. Give it a break please.

I don't know if this is the time to give it a break. Has the decision been made?

[Ghostrider]

^^ "Officially", no.

 

Unofficially, the decision was "made" the minute VE plans were mooted. The last, and now newly returned Scots Government were, and almost certainly will continue to be, totally insane "green" addicts. A sizeable "green" addition they can crow about and that will make their numbers look better, sited in a location they despise and have no use for unless to profit from at no cost to themselves, of course they were always going to rubber stamp it. They have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, and they don't give the first monkey's about the place, any of us that live here or what we think.

 

I hope VE does go ahead, and I hope SSE takes the CT for the mugs they believe them to be ASAP and bankrupt them, preferably before much construction work has occured, so that visible physical damage on the ground is minimal.

 

With the kitty empty we'll not have to put up with the endless bickering, and folk that should know better being blinded by £ signs that's been the norm now for a while.

 

Regardless of all the other smokescreens and passing blame that's gone on with this, the final decision lies squarely in the hands of the SIC. They have neatly sidestepped taking responsibility for that so far by pawning the ill-conceived scheme off on their alter ego, the CT, and persistently mumbling that the final desicion is not in their hands, but in the Scottish Government's. Its all bull of the highest order, the SIC is one of the main, if not the majority landowner on whom the site is located. If the SIC as owner removes consent for their property to be used, there can be no VE, as the site on which it is proposed to stand will have largely vanished from availability.

[stilldellin]

Absolutely spot on Ghostrider, I could not agree more, the inability of our current Council to apply rational thinking to almost any subject matter beggars belief.

[THE GREYSUIT]

Whether pro Viking or not, to me the key issue is Council spending, if Jonathan Wills statement on Council spending is correct "need to save 38 million off next years budget" then given the Councillors inability to make hard decisions on cuts the Council will have spent all it's reserves in about 5 years time, sure they can expect a few million from Total, but that will only cover the 2 million growth in social care every year. Once the Council has spent the reserves, then we can expect, No major capital works, no new roads minimum maintenance, impact on construction industry andd loss of jobs, can't afford to run the ferries, the isles will be lucky to get a couple of trips a day, the debate over schools will be irelevant as we simply won't have the money. Population will fall dramatically, impact on the leisure centers etc. and Shetland will go down hill fast.

 

If anyone can come up with a better way to make the sort of money Viking can than lets hear it, because it seems to be we can either have wind turbines and an active economically properous community with a good standard of living and infrastructure, or we don't have Viking, the community implodes, and a private firm will build turbines anyway and the community won't benefit.

[MuckleJoannie]

The money from Viking Energy will mainly go to the Charitable Trust. Apart from Social Care the Trust spends its money on the arts, culture, sport, the environment, natural history and heritage. The services you list above have to be met from statutory funds. The reserves used to add to this expenditure come from profits from the port of Sullom Voe, which will not be affected by the windfarm.

[THE GREYSUIT]

I agree at present the trust owns the share in Viking, but that does not mean to say the Council will not attempt to buy some of that share back. With regards to sullom it does not provide anywhere near the amount of money it did, if it did the council would not be concerned with saving money, even with the little money still coming from sullom and Total the Council will have spent all it's reserves, these services maybe statutory but the Council provide them at a level which is well above the statutory minimum, do we really want to lose that.