Luggie's Knowe turbine build completed

Shetland Aerogenerators has erected a large wind turbine at Luggie’s Knowe to the north of Lerwick.

The operators of the 15-year-old Burradale Wind Farm, one of the most productive in the world, have put up a 3MW Enercon machine at the site.

The tower section of the 3MW Enercon machine was lifted into place by a 750-tonne Liebherr crane with a reach of 85m. The crane was transported to Shetland by the German turbine manufacturer specially for the lift.

With a tip height of 121m, the Enercon E-82 E4 is only slightly smaller than the 3.6MW turbine that Viking Energy has planning approval for, but is Shetland’s largest so far.

Commissioning work and grid connection will follow over the coming weeks.

Shetland Aerogenerators, which owns and operates the Burradale Wind Farm, took over the development from SSE. Commercial funding for the project was arranged with Lombard Finance.

The power from the turbine will be exported thought SSE's Active Network Management system, which was introduced as part of the NINES (Northern Isles New Energy Solutions) project. NINES is designed to let more renewable sources feed in to the local electricity grid.

Shetland Aerogenerators managing director Angus Ward said: “We originally thought the project could only be built out next year but thanks mainly to the goodwill of SSE we've been able to bring everything forward. 

“The Enercon is a highly sophisticated machine which will continue producing clean electricity even in high wind conditions.”

Director David Thomson added that the civil works, including excavations, construction of the access road and pouring of the concrete base, had been very ably carried out by local firm Garriock Bros while Orkney firm Bryan J Rendall is doing the specialist electrical works and Greencat Renewables from Edinburgh have provided project management assistance.

“It’s very exciting and satisfying to see the project, which we've been working on for the past year, come to fruition and now we can look forward to the commissioning phase.”

Photos below taken by Paul Riddell.