hagar the horrible Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 http://www.manxradio...d.aspx?id=58953 The government’s director of environment says exporting electricity to the UK could earn the Island millions if we turn to wind power. A project in the Shetland Isles earns the community there £30 million a year through 127 turbines, each providing three megawatts. Martin Hall says the Isle of Man is an ideal location for such a project which would provide energy security as well as possibilities for export. He says the project would be invaluable. So, the governments director of environment says the project would be invaluable, what is the role of the director of envrionment, to cover our lovely Island in windmills? Not for me thanks, or am I being myopic and selfish? If this scheme were to go ahead maybe the first turdbine could be sited on top of that useless pile of sods at St. Johns in place of the flagpole and then maybe Manannan could create a hurricane on the 5th July causing the whole kit and caboodle to disappear into the stratosphere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spermann Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 You could always put them in the sea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hagar the horrible Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share Posted April 11, 2012 You could always put them in the sea. Yea, but that might add time to the steam packet sailings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manshimajin Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 a project which would provide energy security as well as possibilities for export. I thought Pulrose, the incinerator and the interconnector gave energy security (particularly with all the new gas finds) The word 'possibilities' of exports reminds me of other government statements over the years. We should have more than possibilities to proceed - firm contracts - and I agree with Spermann that offshore would be the natural way to do this if there is money to be made. I assume also that if 'the community' is to earn money from this of the quantum earned by the Shetland Islanders and if the investment is through private capital it would need to be on a very large scale and the IOMG would not have to hand out tax breaks and 0% corporate tax rates (or AB's back of the envelopes 'benefits') - cash is king. Otherwise it would mean the MEA finding more loans.... http://www.guardian....rm-protest-rspb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 So, the governments director of environment says the project would be invaluable, what is the role of the director of envrionment, to cover our lovely Island in windmills? It's already covered in roads, but that doesn't seem to bother anyone. There's places you could put turbines that'd barely be noticed, there's parts of the island that most people never see (ie, more than 1/2 a mile from a main road) Regarding the idea, when we're getting most of our power from renewable, then we can consider exporting. Seems a little premature for this plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manshimajin Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Regarding the idea, when we're getting most of our power from renewable, then we can consider exporting. Seems a little premature for this plan. Slim, given the significant additional capacity built in at considerable cost at Pulrose and the life expectancy of that investment, that will surely be a long way off - 20 years plus. Not that you are suggesting this, but the option of closing Pulrose down whilst we still owe £250 million (and have the annual loan servicing costs) would be a 'nuclear option'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asitis Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Ye Gods another fantasy scheme, would like to see this one costed up ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guilty Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 http://www.manxradio...d.aspx?id=58953 The government’s director of environment says exporting electricity to the UK could earn the Island millions if we turn to wind power. A project in the Shetland Isles earns the community there £30 million a year through 127 turbines, each providing three megawatts. No it doesn't. This was first announced in 2003. The Viking Energy proposal was only approved by the Scottish Executive 6 days ago. The plan is now for 103 turbines. It will be 2 years before they even get to the construction phase. It will be a further 5 years in construction. There is currently no sub-sea interconnecting cable to take the excess power to the Scottish Mainland. The cable will cost about £550 million. The turbines will cost about £800 million. There is no converter station built to convert from AC to DC for transmission through the cable. Today, the Shetland News said: "MORE than 170 concerned islanders packed Tingwall public hall on Tuesday night to explore how campaign group Sustainable Shetland can maintain its opposition to the controversial Viking Energy wind farm after it received planning consent last week. The upbeat meeting, chaired by council election candidate Billy Fox, agreed the campaign against the 103 turbine development in the centre of Shetland was far from over. It also showed the gulf between supporters and opponents of the 370 megawatt wind farm project remains as deep as ever, with last week’s planning decision further fuelling strong emotions." There's a Council election next month. Some are standing in opposition to the wind farm. The game is far from complete. And the £30 million income for the islanders? Pie-in-the-sky at present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manshimajin Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 The game is far from complete. And the £30 million income for the islanders? Pie-in-the-sky at present. It certainly sounds to be a hugely divisive issue in the Shetlands. Two alternative views can be found: http://www.sustainableshetland.org/viking/index.htm http://www.vikingenergy.co.uk/news-detail.asp?item=71 It would seem that there is a real conflict of opinion between those who want to retain the Shetland environment and those who want to take commercial advantage of it to help elsewhere with environmental issues. Some interesting comments elsewhere on the role of councillors/developers/charitable trustees in the project - which is leading to a reform the governance of the Shetland Charitable Trust. Also huge discrepencies on the projected carbon payback period and on the way the very expensive interconnector should be paid for. Life was not meant to be easy!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolley Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Is this even viable without huge UK government subsidy? I think not. Be a bit strange if that were available for a Mann located windfarm. The enthusiasm for this is worrying. It shows the paucity of other ideas for our economy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Power Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 £30,000,000 at the expense of a good proportion of whatever tourism income we receive at present? Wind farms are a blight on the landscape but I realise that we have to make sacrifices, it's a case of weighing one against the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manshimajin Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 £30,000,000 at the expense of a good proportion of whatever tourism income we receive at present? Wind farms are a blight on the landscape but I realise that we have to make sacrifices, it's a case of weighing one against the other. The costs of funding of the Shetland project is unclear as is its profitability. The Sustainable Shetland folk may be painting a somewhat dark picture but their webpage on financing is worth a read: http://www.sustainab...omics/index.htm It is worth considering how, or who, could fund a project that costs £800 million plus interconnector costs (presumably less than the £500 million for the Shetland project) if the current interconnector is not capable of carrying the peak load. Also why would a company install capacity here rather than in the UK closer to markets? Given the fiasco left to us by the MEA debt one would hope that the IOMG would not be making additional borrowing commitments. But if we do not have an equivalent to the SCT (which would need to borrow to invest....) then presumably the benefit to the Island would be limited as we would be taxing profits at 0% (and these could take some years to emerge anyway) and we do not need the electricity as we have more than enough for years to come at present. Mr Bell is fond of saying that there are other forms of benefit - but how many people would an operating wind farm employ and how many local jobs would be involved temporarily in construction? I don't mean to be negative - just very cautious. I note that last paragraph in the link referred to above states: A recent Advertising Standards Authority ruling told Viking Energy that they cannot continue to claim a specific value of profit or community return without actually substantiating the claims with evidence such as contracts for sale of electricity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asitis Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Just listened to this on the radio, chillingly similar phrases used to another huge project remember "international hub", well the chap Hall in his radio interview described the IOM as perhaps an "international hub" in relation to electricity distribution ! For gods sake I can only hope our politicos look at this a damn site more closely and critically than they have done with other stupid projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Iceland's volcanoes may power UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hungry Harrison Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Who recruited these people ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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