FIRST power has been produced at Shetland’s Viking Wind Farm in a landmark moment for the £566 million project.
RJ McLeod first began construction of the wind farm in 2020, with the last of over 100 turbines being installed at the site in August 2023. The recent installation of the final turbine marked first power being produced as part of final commissioning processes.
SSE Renewables said that engineers will continue to progress through commissioning ahead of the wind farm reaching full power and entering commercial operations later in summer 2024, when it is expected to become the UK’s most productive onshore wind farm.
Once operational Viking Wind Farm will be capable of generating enough electricity to power the equivalent of almost half a million typical British homes annually, the organisation said.
Heather Donald, SSE Renewables’ onshore renewables development and construction director, said, “This latest milestone is another step towards cleaner, more secure, homegrown power for Shetland, Scotland and the UK.
“Once again our expert teams have shown what can be achieved in the development, construction and operation of world-class renewable power assets as we look to lead the transition to a net zero future.”
The Viking Wind Farm milestone comes as Shetland gears up to be fully gears up to be fully connected to the GB electricity transmission grid for the first time, with the 260km Shetland high voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cable project being delivered separately by SSEN Transmission closing in on full energisation, which is expected later this summer.
John Scott, SSEN Transmission’s programme director, added, “The first flow of power from Shetland to the mainland on the Shetland HVDC link is a key moment for the Shetland community. Full energisation, linking Shetland to the GB transmission system for the first time will be crucial in delivering Shetland’s energy security as well as enabling extensive renewable generation development and export.
“A tremendous collective effort from our teams so far, we can now look forward to working through the remaining commissioning phases of the project before it is fully energised later this summer.”
