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Summit seeks to overcome obstacles for island windfarms    23/2/14

 

Thousands of promised jobs are at risk unless serious obstacles to the so-far sluggish renewable energy industry in the northern and Western Isles are removed, a high profile summit will hear on Monday.

 

Scotland’s Energy Minister, Fergus Ewing, is gathering the main players in the renewables’ field to thrash out the issues and seek a strategy for the way forward at a forum in the Western Isles on Monday.

 

This is the first time all three island local authorities - Orkney, Shetland and the Comhairle - will be round the same table with the Scottish Government chiefs, UK government officials, energy regulator Ofgem, windfarm developers and national grid operator SSE to argue the problems holding back the islands’ energy future.

 

The hoped-for economic boom which could revitalise the islands will be killed off unless the failure to build a vital sub-sea cable to carry windfarm electricity to mainland markets is overturned.

 

Higher costs to transmit island energy the longer distance down the national gird is another threat.

 

In addition, the proposed subsidy, or strike price, may not be enough to allow wind and wave developments to be built on the islands.

 

Large wind schemes which have received planning permission at North Tolsta, at Stornoway and at South Lochs on Lewis as well as a wave farm off west Lewis are now in limbo undtil the end of the decade as there is no link to export their output.

 

Warnings that developers may simply abandon the Western Isles instead of hanging on for the cable will be voiced at the summit.

 

The hurdles would also destroy chances of new jobs from manufacturing turbine structures for local developments at the Arnish yard which Mr Ewing will tour in the morning.  

 

Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) aborted an earlier contract to manufacture the £700 million interconnector link.

 

Whether the underwater cable is ever constructed depends on SSE and Ofgem - plus the political will to make it happen.

 

Related topic:  

 

►    Fears sub-sea cable may never be built