Shetland Aerogenerators Ltd is pleased to report that our planning application to the Shetland Islands Council has been approved.
The approved development of a single wind turbine and a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) will replace two previously consented but unbuilt wind turbines at Luggie’s Knowe to the north of Lerwick. The project will have a combined total generating capacity of up to 19.9 Megawatts. The 5MW turbine alone could produce enough energy to power more than 5,500 UK average homes annually^, 2,600 Shetland homes annually† or 180,000 Electric Vehicle miles each day*. The BESS will offer flexibility improving network capacity and accelerating Shetland’s transition to Net Zero.
An original planning consent was granted in 2012 for the construction and operation of three wind turbines. One of the consented wind turbines was constructed and has been operational since 2016.
Shetland Aerogenerators is also exploring routing community benefit payments from the development into schemes such as Hjaltland Housing Association’s existing Fuel Vouchers scheme, which will help some people experiencing fuel poverty to pay their energy bills.
Brendan Hall, Development Manager says:
“We are delighted to receive Planning Consent. Our Development Team have put in a great deal of work on this project, carrying out a full Environmental Impact Assessment through 2023 to ensure this development is acceptable and it’s great to see these efforts pay off. We will now finalise plans for procurement and construction. This will include meeting our environmental commitments and selecting the technology suppliers we will use for our turbine and BESS. We are excited to proceed to this phase and we expect to continue our established approach using the Shetland supply chain and local contractors as much as possible.”
Chief Executive David Thomson says:
“This is another significant investment by us in Shetland’s energy transition. We pioneered wind energy in Shetland and we will now explore grid flexibility. Our vision is to deliver affordable decarbonised energy, along with improved energy security and local employment opportunities. My next priority is to ensure that this development can make a tangible difference to fuel poverty in Shetland, through opportunities such as energy vouchers for identified groups. We’ve been part of recent discussions to identify how Shetland ensures a fair share from energy developments and this project is a chance to demonstrate some of those ideas.”
Construction work could start in 2026 depending on availability of technology. The build time is estimated to be 9-12 months.
For more information, please visit our Projects page