Sian Crampsie
SSE Renewables has taken a final investment decision for the 443 MW Viking wind farm in Shetland, Scotland. The move sets the company up for a £580 million investment in the 103-turbine project, with construction slated to being later this year.
The wind farm will be the largest in the UK in terms of annual electricity output and will play a “crucial” role in contributing towards the UK’s and Scotland’s net zero targets, SSE said. It will also commercially underpin the proposed 600 MW transmission line connecting Shetland with the GB electricity grid.
Regulator Ofgem is set to make a decision on the new interconnector in July.
Scottish Government Energy minister, Paul Wheelhouse, commented: “This is excellent news for Shetland, and for Scotland’s renewable energy and climate change ambitions. The Viking wind farm project is also a great symbol for the green recovery that the Scottish Government is determined to foster and encourage, as we move through and beyond the current Coronavirus pandemic.
“This decision is of sufficient scale to act as the trigger to unlock the much anticipated major investment in a high voltage connection from Shetland to mainland Scotland, subject to a final decision by Ofgem which we expect shortly.”
The wind farm project is wholly owned by SSE Renewables and is being developed with community partnership Viking Energy Shetland. The project is expected to be completed in early 2024.