New wind farms for the Orkney Islands could boost renewable energy capacity and bring £1.48 billion to the local economy

The Kitchener Memorial, overlooking the sea at Marwick Head

The Council for the Orkney Islands – an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland with a population of just over 20,000 – want to create three on-shore wind sites. The new sites will boost the islands’ renewable energy production and work towards Scotland’s commitment to reach net-zero emissions. But there is a problem: the islands’ electricity link is operating at full capacity.

Making the case for more capacity

GHD’s Energy Solutions team worked with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks to convince Ofgem – the UK’s energy regulator – that a new transmission link was justified. The proposal was to build a 220MW interconnector, providing a route to market for the wind farms while also leaving extra space for emerging renewables like wave and tidal generation to be added in future. But before work on the new link can begin, Ofgem insisted there must be a commitment to develop 135MW of wind farms in Orkney by December 2022.

Orkney Islands Council plans to develop three wind farms that will help meet Ofgem’s conditions, but to do so the projects need planning permission from the Scottish Government.

GHD’s Energy Solutions team was tasked with assessing the benefits the wind farms will bring to the local economy, and the wider Scottish economy, and how they would support renewable energy growth in Orkney.

The socio-economic impact report produced by the team revealed that the new cable link could bring a £1.48 billion (AUD2.75 billion) boost to the Scottish economy – representing more than £800 (AUD1,488) annually for each islander over the next 45 years.

The report also laid out the importance of Orkney’s Community Wind Farm Project to the local area. As a publicly owned development ploughing its returns back into the Orkney economy, the wind farms will be almost four times more beneficial to Orkney than a privately-owned development.

“A perfect example of energy transition in action.”

The Council used the report to support its planning application to Scottish government for the three wind farms. A key message is the important economic and social benefit renewables can play in the transition to Net Zero for both Orkney and Scotland. The report provides extra evidence for discussions with the Scottish and UK governments on the electricity infrastructure the islands need.

GHD Project Manager Lisa Woolhouse said: “This project has far-reaching benefits for the Orkney community and future energy systems. It’s a perfect example of energy transition in action, and communities seeing the benefit of renewable energy at a local level.”