Climate change

In doing so it will transform Shetland’s energy production and use.

Shetland is currently one of the highest per capita emitters of carbon dioxide in the world due to the high usage of fossil fuels both industrially and domestically. ORION’s goal is to aid Shetland’s transition to be one of the lowest per capita emitters of carbon dioxide in the world.

ORION’s strategic actions are to:

• Surpass net-zero goals and achieve carbon-negative emissions in Shetland in line with of Scottish Government policy
• Produce sufficient clean energy to provide transport, heating and lighting to Shetland
• Provide power and electrify existing and future oil and gas installations
• Export power or hydrogen to the mainland for national use

The project has estimated that CO2 emissions in Shetland per annum are in the order of 650,000 tonnes, which includes emissions from power stations and the terminals.

Converting Shetland to renewable electricity and fuel will remove these emissions, creating a cleaner environment and helping meet the Scottish target of reaching net zero by 2045 and is a key aspect of SIC's Net Zero Route Map which was recently published.

ORION could also be a significant contributor to the decarbonisation of oil and gas installations by providing power for electrification.

To learn more about climate change in Shetland, please visit the SIC Climate Change Programme webpages found here.