Viking proposal ‘unaffected’ by energy giant’s £1bn investment in offshore windfarm

The proposed Viking Energy windfarm will not be delayed by Scottish and Southern Energy’s unexpected decision to invest in a massive £1 billion offshore windfarm in the Irish Sea.

The company has warned that some of its 27 Scottish windfarm projects will be pushed back as a result of taking a 25.1 per cent stake in the Walney windfarm, between the Isle of Man and Cumbria, which will require it to invest £250 million towards construction costs.

The windfarm, controlled by the Danish energy company Dong, is to have a capacity of 367 megawatts from 139-turbines when completed late next year.

SSE said funds for the Walney development would come from its investment budget for the five years to 2013, which would mean some of its windfarm projects being delayed.

A spokesman for SSE said this week he could not be specific about which projects might be delayed but added: “I can confirm that the announcement SSE made before Christmas does not affect the company’s plans for Viking.”

SSE and Dong also recently announced a joint venture to build three offshore windfarms in the Dutch sector of the North Sea with a capacity of over 1,000MW. The proposed Viking Energy windfarm is rated at 540MW.