Scotland's Shetland Islands have been connected to the GB electricity grid for the first time, in what SSE Renewables described as 'monumental step forward' in the UK's journey toward a sustainable energy future.

This milestone comes with the completion of two major projects:

• the Viking Wind Farm, which is set to become the UK’s most productive onshore wind farm

• a 260-kilometer subsea transmission link that will transport the generated electricity from Shetland to the mainland

Featuring 103 Vestas turbines, the Viking Wind Farm has an installed capacity of 443MW and is expected to produce around 1.8 terawatt-hours (TWh) of renewable electricity annually. This output is sufficient to power nearly 500,000* homes each year. It will be the most productive onshore wind farm in the UK, marking a significant increase in the UK's clean energy capacity^.

The completion of the Viking Wind Farm and the subsea transmission link represents a £1 billion investment by SSE as part of our £20.5 billion commitment to UK clean energy infrastructure by 2027. This investment is one of the largest private commitments to clean energy the country has ever seen.

The subsea cable, a 260km high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link, will transport electricity between Shetland and the GB mainland for the first time. The cable was installed by SSEN Transmission in three campaigns, using specialist cable-laying vessel NKT Victoria. The cable connects a new converter station at Kergord in Shetland to a switching station at Noss Head on the Scottish mainland.

First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, commented on the significance of the project, stating:

"The completion of these projects is a significant step in unlocking the green energy potential of the Shetland islands.

"These developments will not only aid us in our efforts to decarbonise our energy system, but help to stimulate sustainable economic growth in the local area.

"It is welcome that Scotland's onshore wind capacity continues to expand. This is a vital component of our mission to bring about a just transition to net zero."

This connection will enable clean energy generated in the Shetland Islands to flow to the rest of the UK, providing a new source of renewable energy and enhancing energy security. The link will also allow for energy to be supplied back to Shetland, ensuring a reliable supply of electricity for the islands.

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UK Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, commented on the crucial role Viking will play in the UK's clean energy mission: "By Switching on Viking, hundreds of thousands of homes in the Shetlands and right across the country will benefit from cheap, homegrown energy, and this project has created jobs and growth for local communities.

"This shows why we need more developments like this to make Britain a clean energy superpower – and that is why we lifted the onshore wind farm ban in our first 72 hours in Government.

"This will be a crucial part of delivering our mission for clean power by 2030 – reducing our reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets, boosting our energy independence and protecting consumers."

The Viking Wind Farm and the HVDC link have already had a positive impact on the local economy and employment. During peak construction, the projects supported around 650 jobs and contributed £125 million to the Shetland economy. The ongoing operations of the Viking Wind Farm will support 35 permanent roles and are expected to contribute over £70 million to the local economy over the lifetime of the wind farm.

In addition to economic benefits, the Viking Community Fund, managed by community representatives, is the largest for a single renewable project in Great Britain, totalling over £72 million. This fund focuses on priority areas identified by Shetland residents, such as youth programs, housing and transportation, and has already supported nearly 200 local projects.

The Viking Wind Farm is a significant addition to the UK's renewable energy portfolio, increasing the combined onshore and offshore wind capacity to over 30GW, enough to meet the annual power needs of 26 million homes. This milestone underlines the UK's commitment to transitioning to a clean energy future, reducing carbon emissions by over 35 million tonnes annually.

Alistair Phillips-Davies, SSE Chief Executive, commented on this important achievement: "Delivery of both the Viking Wind Farm and Shetland HVDC Transmission link are big engineering achievements and together represent a major milestone on the UK's path to a clean energy system.

"Shetland and the wider North Sea have long supported the country's energy security and now they are playing a significant role in decarbonising our power system.

"But it has taken nearly two decades for these projects to move from concept to completion and if we are serious about delivering clean power by 2030 – less than 2,000 days away – we need to make it much easier and faster to build this kind of mission-critical infrastructure."

With the completion of these projects, the Shetland Islands are set to play a crucial role in the UK's renewable energy landscape, harnessing their unique position as the windiest region of the UK. The Viking Wind Farm is poised to be a leading contributor to the UK's wind energy production, driving the nation closer to its net-zero goals and fostering sustainable growth in local communities.

Dan McGrail, Renewable UK Chief Executive, emphasised the importance of the project: "When the Viking project was first conceived nearly twenty years ago, the UK's wind capacity stood at less than five gigawatts, and turbines were around 75% less efficient than they are now.

"Reaching the milestone of 30GW is a phenomenal achievement for the entire industry and further underlines the fact that wind is now the backbone of our future energy system, having generated a record 28% of our electricity last year."

*475,099 homes powered per annum based on annual GB average domestic household consumption base of 3.781MWh published by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) as of November 2018, and projected total generation output by Viking Wind Farm of 1,796.35 GWh per annum.

^ Most productive UK onshore wind farm claim based on projected total average generation output by Viking Wind Farm of ~1.8TWh per annum and a comparison with the leading UK operational and in construction wind farms.