The Shetland Islands have been connected to the mainland electricity grid for the first time, thanks to the completion of two major projects: the Viking Wind Farm and a 260-kilometer subsea transmission link.
The Viking Wind Farm is set to become the most productive onshore wind farm in the UK, according to SSE Renewables, which developed the project. With 103 state-of-the-art Vestas turbines, the wind farm has an installed capacity of 443MW and is expected to generate approximately 1.8 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually—enough to power nearly 500,000 homes.
Accompanying the wind farm is a 260km subsea high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link, which will transport the clean energy generated in Shetland to the GB mainland. Installed by SSEN Transmission, the cable connects a new converter station in Kergord, Shetland, to a switching station at Noss Head on the Scottish mainland, ensuring a flow of electricity between the islands and the rest of the UK.
First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, hailed the projects as a pivotal moment in Shetland’s green energy transition. “These developments will not only aid us in our efforts to decarbonize our energy system but also help stimulate sustainable economic growth in the local area,” Swinney stated, emphasizing the critical role of onshore wind in Scotland’s transition to net zero.
UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband pointed to the broader impact of the Viking Wind Farm. “Switching on Viking means hundreds of thousands of homes in the Shetlands and across the country will benefit from cheap, homegrown energy,” Miliband said. “This project shows why we need more developments like this to make Britain a clean energy superpower.”
During peak construction, Viking Wind Farm and HVDC link projects supported around 650 jobs and injected £125 million into the local economy, said SSE. Moving forward, the wind farm’s operations will need 35 permanent jobs and are expected to contribute more than £70 million to the Shetland economy over its lifetime.
The Viking Community Fund—totaling over £72 million—stands as the largest community fund for a single renewable project in Great Britain. Managed by local representatives, the fund is dedicated to supporting priority areas identified by Shetland residents, such as youth programmes, housing, and transportation, with nearly 200 local projects already benefiting.
The Viking Wind Farm is a significant addition to the UK’s renewable energy portfolio, pushing the combined onshore and offshore wind capacity to over 30GW—enough to meet the annual power needs of 26 million homes. This milestone reflects the UK’s progress toward its clean energy goals in its commitment to reducing carbon emissions by over 35 million tonnes annually.
Alistair Phillips-Davies, SSE Chief Executive, said: “These projects represent a major milestone on the UK’s path to a clean energy system,” he said, while also calling for quicker and easier development of such critical infrastructure to meet the UK’s 2030 clean power targets.
