Shetland windfarm developer Viking Energy has requested approval from the Scottish Government to update the wind turbines at its consented Viking Wind Farm.
The project is asking to make an alteration to the turbine type, in an effort to update the 103 onshore turbines at the site.
The wind farm developers are claiming that the technology has “advanced considerably” since the project began ten years ago and is therefore seeking to increase the tip height from 145 meters to 155 meters.
Use of more powerful turbines of four megawatts (MW) or more would enable Viking Energy to increase its generation of renewable electricity to a level closer to its consented capacity of 457MW, increasing the potential income to Shetland Charitable Trust, which owns 45% of the project.
A public exhibition of the plans is to be held on Tuesday 2nd October at Voe Public Hall.
An application for a variation of Viking Energy’s Section 36 consent will then be submitted to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit in Glasgow.
Viking Energy project director Ian Innes said: “It’s unfortunate that the windfarm has been held up for a number of years. Turbine technology has advanced considerably since the project was consented so, naturally, the project wishes to buy and install the best turbines on the market to maximise its output of clean electricity.
“Viking is now competing against a new generation of wind farms, including those offshore, where tip heights of 200m or more are now available.”
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