Issues

A project the size of the Viking Wind Farm is complex with a huge range of issues to be resolved, including how best to ensure minimal impact on the environment in Shetland. Looking south from Burradale

These issues are discussed in more detail in the pages of this Issues section.

Meticulous planning by the experienced partners will help ensure the wind farm's success. SSE is involved in nearly 60 wind farms and has developed vast knowledge of wind farm building techniques. In Shetland, the owners of Viking Wind Ltd have run the Burradale Wind Farm successfully since 2000.

A Habitat Management Plan (HMP) covering several thousand hectares was agreed as part of the consent awarded in 2012. It contains plans to restore degraded areas of peatland around and beyond the wind farm site and to seek to protect bird species such as whimbrel, red-throated diver and merlin.

The HMP was identified by the Scottish Government as “far more ambitious and expansive than HMPs which have formed part of mitigation for previously consented wind farms” ^[1].

In January 2020, a detailed implementation plan for the HMP was approved by Shetland Islands Council, following approval by Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. Specialist contractors help ensure wind farm building goes well

Issues outwith the partnership’s direct control, such as transmission charges and the interconnector cable, are continually being discussed with governments and the regulatory authorities.