| Work Detail |
First power has been produced from the Viking wind farm on Shetland as the island gears up to be connected to the British electricity grid for the first time.
Developer SSE Renewables said once fully operational, the 103 turbine 443MW Viking project will be the UK’s most productive onshore wind farm.
SSE installed the final turbine at the Viking site in August last year, capping off a three year construction program in which engineers had to contend with Shetland’s challenging weather conditions.
The milestone for the Viking project comes as SSEN Transmission nears completion of the 260km Shetland high voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cable.
SSEN Transmission expects the cable to reach full energisation later this summer, enabling the wind farm to power an estimated 475,000 UK homes.
SSE Renewables onshore renewables development and construction director Heather Donald said the milestone “another step towards cleaner, more secure, homegrown power” for Shetland, Scotland and the wider UK.
SSEN Transmission programme director John Scott said the first flow of power from Shetland to the British mainland is a key moment for the island’s community.
“Full energisation, linking Shetland to the [Great Britain] transmission system for the first time will be crucial in delivering Shetland’s energy security as well as enabling extensive renewable generation development and export,” Mr Scott said.
Alongside progress on the Shetland HVDC link, SSE said work is continuing to connect Shetland’s existing electricity network to the mainland grid via a new grid supply point at Gremista.
Viking wind farm construction challenges
Over the course of construction, the Viking wind farm faced numerous weather challenges and pushback from the local community.
Last month, dramatic video captured the moment a landslide halted halted work at the site.
The peat slip came after a fire broke out at the Viking site in February.
In the early stages of construction, the project attracted controversy and legal challenges from some Shetlanders as local campaigners questioned the benefits of the wind farm.
In total, SSE has invested more than £70 million on the Viking wind farm, which began as a joint venture with the Shetland community. |
