Projects under development and construction
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About the developer
Statkraft is a leading company in hydropower internationally and Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy. The Group produces hydropower, wind power, solar power, gas-fired power and supplies district heating. Statkraft is a global company in energy market operations. Statkraft has 5000 employees in 20 countries.
About Statkraft UK
Statkraft is at the heart of the UK’s energy transition. Since 2006, Statkraft has gone from strength to strength in the UK, building experience across wind, solar, hydro, storage, grid stability, EV charging, green hydrogen and a thriving markets business.
We’ve invested over £1.3 billion in the UK's renewable energy infrastructure and facilitated over 4 GW of new-build renewable energy generation through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).
Across our UK businesses we employ nearly 450 staff in England, Scotland and Wales and play a key role in helping the global business reach its goal of 9 GW of developed wind and solar power by 2025.
You can read more about us here.
About the project
If consented and developed, this project will provide grid stability, which significantly reduces the need for diesel generators and ensures a continuous electricity supply across Shetland. The project would be a key part of Shetland’s future electricity grid, supporting the new Shetland Grid Supply Point (GSP) substation, which will see Shetland’s electricity network connected to the British electricity grid for the first time.
There is an identified need for a grid stabilisation facility in the local area, and Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution (SHEPD) will be holding a tender to select a scheme that will be delivered. Only one project is likely to be built in the local area.
Summer of 2023.
It is not possible in advance to say where the electricity was generated. This project does not rely on any nearby electricity generating projects such as Solar and Wind Farms to operate. In general we would expect batteries to charge at times when there is a surplus of renewable energy generation in Great Britain.
Yes. Our first Greener Grid Park has recently started operating in Keith, Moray. We are also nearing completion of a second Greener Grid Park in Liverpool. The technology used in these projects are synchronous compensators. We have also won contracts from National Grid Electricity Systems Operator for two grid forming battery projects at Coylton and Neilston in the South West of Scotland.
We operate several similar projects in Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany.
We anticipate the construction phase will last approximately 18 months.
It will look similar to nearby warehouses, as well as buildings that you might associate with storage units or shipping containers
The building colour will be selected for its ability to blend in with the existing substation building which we would expect to be moss green but will seek further input from the Council on this topic.
A future planning application will include detailed assessments of construction traffic and access routes, and measures will be taken to minimise the impacts on local residents. These can include careful scheduling of deliveries, and the selection of the most suitable construction access routes. Details of contruction access would be secured in an enforceable Construction and Environmental Management Plan.
During construction, we will work to keep noise levels from the site to a minimum. We will follow all conditions imposed on construction activities if our application is successful. The noise levels will stay below the level which is set out by the council in the planning permission.
The equipment once installed and operational will be clad in noise insulating materials.The specific equipment to be used will be selected once planning consent has been granted. Once the technology suppliers have been selected, noise studies will be carried out and provided to the council. The development will not exceed noise limits set by the council to prevent negative impacts on residential properties in the area.
We are still in the development phase, so at this point we are keen to hear local residents' comments and questions.
We would love to keep you informed. You can register on this website to ensure you are kept up to date, or use the contact us form to let us know your postal address. Get in touch
Safety and traffic
Once the facility has been constructed, there will be minimal vehicle trips to the site during operation. There will be occasional visits for maintenance and inspection of the facility but the site will generally be unattended, so there will not be noticeable impact on traffic flows in the area.
Service personnel will drive to site in small vehicles so there will be discernible impact to existing traffic levels. We do not envisage any HGV’s visiting the site in the first few years of operation, and they will only be required for any major refurbishments if needed.
Once operational, the site is expected to only be attended by a service technician for essential maintenance.
The site will be fenced off using high security-fencing.
No, the lights will be installed with motion sensors and will not be in constant illumination to prevent light pollution. Once operational, the site is expected to be attended by a service technician only for essential maintenance.
A future planning application will include detailed assessments of construction traffic and access routes, and measures will be taken to minimise the impacts on local residents. These can include careful scheduling of deliveries which might include scheduling abnormal load vehicles arriving at night, HGV delivery timings and any restrictions being agreed with the council and the selection of the most suitable construction access routes. Details of construction access would be secured in an enforceable Construction and Environmental Management Plan.
Environmental considerations
The preservation of biodiversity and wildlife onsite is a top priority for Statkraft.
We are still consulting with Shetland Islands Council about how we can improve biodiversity on the site and our plans for this will be included in the planning application.
The planning application will be accompanied by a drainage impact assessment including the provision of sustainable drainage measures.
The building colour will be selected for its ability to blend in with the existing substation building which we would expect to be moss green but will seek further input from the Council on this topic.
Emergencies
All of our sites are fitted with controls which monitor the site 24/7 and can remotely shut down the system. There will be stringent emergency measures in place, which are outlined in the emergency plan produced before construction starts. In addition, we will have Senior Authorised Persons (SAP) with sufficient competence to be on call 24/7. We will also engage a local security company to respond to security alarms within a set time frame.
Statkraft will implement procedures and plans for emergency situations and will run regular emergency preparedness exercises in order to ensure that all personnel in the organisation, including third parties, are aware of how to act and react if any unplanned situations should occur. Agreements will be made, and cooperation established with local emergency services for training and exercises in order to secure own personnel, third parties, environment and properties.
Some examples of measures we would take include:
1. To separate transformers from adjacent structures and from each other.
2. Resistance barriers (fire wall), spatial separation, and provided with an enclosure.
3. Spatial separation between the transformer and the synchronous compensator building or the facing elevation wall of the building.
4. Automatic fire, gas and smoke detection (beam based) within the buildings.
5. Automatic fire suppression (e.g. water and/or gas-based sprinklers) within the buildings.
6. Use of fire-resistant non-combustible materials/enclosures around the components.
7. 24/7 remote control of the temperature of the components.
Fire safety measures will be detailed within the planning statement and will be detailed further within the fire safety strategy report with the input from all suppliers and the Statkaft operations team.
Benefits
If consented the Lerwick Greener Grid Park will benefit from a Community Benefit Fund of £20,000 per annum. Our community benefit is the first of its kind for grid projects.
The community benefit fund of £20,000 per year would run for as long as the Greener Grid Park was in operation. These are usually administered by an independent third party, and would cover an area of benefit agreed with local people.
Yes. We have a local suppliers registration link on the website so please complete that if you are a local business and interested in the project, or would like to recommend one.
We will work with groups such as the Chamber of Commerce to maximise opportunities for local suppliers.