Press release - for immediate use. Wednesday 25 June 2008

Sustainable Shetland welcomes wind to heat plans

Campaign group Sustainable Shetland today welcomed SIC plans to erect two wind turbines in Lerwick as part of a wind to heat scheme.
Speaking on behalf of Sustainable Shetland, group member Kevin Learmonth said

“This wind to heat scheme looks exactly like the kind of scheme that should be happening in Shetland”.

He said that instead of “risky and environmentally damaging” schemes like the giant Viking Energy project, Shetland should be looking towards “renewable energy projects which were fit for scale, fit for purpose and provided real community benefit whilst keeping their own environmental impact to a minimum”.

Mr Learmonth added that Sustainable Shetland “would like to see similar community energy and heat schemes implemented throughout Shetland, not least for care homes and other community facilities.”

The group, formed in February of this year, has been a fierce critic of plans to build a 154 turbine wind farm in the central mainland of Shetland. To date it has held two open meetings attracting over 90 people to each meeting.

Press release ends

For more information contact:

Kevin Learmonth

Sustainable Shetland

Tel. 01595 880503

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Sustainable Shetland is a campaign group formed in March 2008 in response to a proposal for a large scale wind farm in Shetland. We believe these large industrial projects are damaging to our environment. We believe that the Viking Energy wind farm endangers Shetland Community Funds, project costs are underestimated and project income grossly over stated.

We believe that the Viking Energy proposals are everything we do not need in Shetland: they are financially risky and potentially damaging to the Shetland environment.

We want to see sustainable renewable energy projects in Shetland which are fit for scale and fit for purpose, and provide real community benefit.

We are not an "anti windfarm" campaign. However we are strongly opposed to the Viking wind farm proposal. Other projects will be considered on their own merits.