Norwegian state-owned utility Statkraft AS has secured planning permission to build a 126-MW wind farm in Scotland’s Shetland Islands as part of a consortium with local businesses.
The consent was awarded by the Scottish government on Monday, enabling construction to be launched by 2025, Statkraft announced.
To be installed in Yell, the Energy Isles wind farm will be equipped with up to 18 turbines that are expected to generate enough electricity to supply around 157,000 homes. The project is anticipated to bring GBP 17.3 million (USD 20.9m/EUR 19.9m) of investments in Shetland during the development and construction phase and comes with a GBP-18.9-million community benefit fund.
Statkraft will execute the project with over 50 businesses, mostly Shetland-based, after it joined the consortium as a development partner in 2019. When initially launched in 2012, the proposal envisages the installation of up to 29 turbines with a maximum capacity of 200 MW but was scaled back to minimise the potential negative impacts.
In April, Statkraft acquired two consented wind farm projects in the Shetland Islands – the 72-MW Beaw Field in Yell and the 48-MW Mossy Hill outside Lerwick.
(GBP 1.0 = USD 1.207/EUR 1.153)
