The Scottish government has finally approved a major wind farm
project on Shetland Islands, adding 370 MW to Scotland’s
renewable capacity, enough energy to power 175,000 homes — or as
much as sixteen times the population of the small island group
where it is to be built. Over 10% of Shetland’s Population
Objected to the Development of the Wind Farm The project, which
has been named Viking Energy wind farm, has met a lot of
resistance from bitter local residents, who have been
complaining about the aesthetic impact a project of this
dimension has on the local scenery. These residents think that
the wind farm should only hold enough capacity for the islanders
themselves. Protection of birds is another key argument in the
fight against approval. Although wind turbines are not as
hazardous towards birds as many people think, parts of Shetland
are nesting grounds for rare birds such as whimbrel and red-
throated divers. The first draft of the project originally
consisted of as much as 200 turbines, but this number