RSPB continues talks with developer, despite Shetland wind farm opposition

Viking Energy, the company behind plans to develop Europe's biggest onshore wind farm in the Shetland Islands, has said it will continue to work with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) as it attempts to alleviate the conservation group's concerns about the project.

The RSPB last week lodged a formal objection to the proposals for a 550MW wind farm, citing " unacceptable adverse impacts on many bird species" and raising fears that the project would disturb local peatlands and as a result release more CO2 than would be saved by the wind turbines.

The objection, which adds to those from Scottish environmental watchdog the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and local charity the Shetland Amenity Trust, increases the likelihood of a full public inquiry into the controversial project.

Viking Energy, which is a joint venture between Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and Shetland Council, said it had worked closely with the RSPB in developing the early proposals for the site and looked forward to continuing the engagement.

"We have been advised by the RSPB that it is currently objecting to our proposals and are disappointed with its decision," the company said in a statement. "However, we welcome the positive approach it has taken throughout this process and will continue to work with it to address its concerns so it feels able to review its position."

Part of Viking Energy's plans include moving 197 hectares of peat during construction. The RSPB said that it would take the wind farm 50 years of operation to offset the CO2 released by the disturbance to peatland. But Viking Energy disputes the calculations, putting the figure at between 2.3 and 14.9 years.

Lloyd Austin, RSPB Scotland's head of conservation policy, said the charity was also willing to engage in a continuing dialogue with the company.

"We would be prepared to review our position if these issues could be satisfactorily resolved," he explained. "This is likely to require not only removal or relocation of turbines, but also a substantial increase in enhancement measures for biodiversity."

The wind farm was originally proposed as two separate 300MW proposals before SSE and Shetland Islands council decided to unite as a joint venture back in 2005 to make grid connection – for which they must bear the cost – easier and more cost effective.

The government wants to have an additional 6,000 onshore and 4,000 offshore wind turbines installed by 2020 to meet its legally binding target of generating 15 per cent of all energy from renewable sources. There are currently about 2,400 turbines installed across the UK.

The RSPB said the plans for more turbines were "long overdue", but maintained that any new developments should be located in areas with minimal environmental impact.

Speaking about the project one NGO insider said the RSPB was a "surprisingly powerful" lobbying group with a budget of £50m a year and an "extensive reach" with decision makers.

A Scottish government consultation on the £580m Viking Energy scheme closed earlier this week, with more than 3,600 of Shetland's 21,000 islanders signing a petition calling for the project to be scrapped.

In related news, wind energy developer RES has scaled down its proposals for a 20MW wind farm in Dumfries and Galloway, in an attempt to push the scheme through the planning system.