Shetland Islands Broadcasting Company

So here we are again with energy prices, oil and gas, to rise on the 1st of October by 4 per cent. Once again Shetland is the most badly affected by this, being heavily dependent on electricity with no mains gas.

This is despite the Shetland Gas Plant producing about 10 per cent of the UK’s gas needs, but none for Shetland, it all being exported. Shetland also produces about 2000 per cent more electricity than it needs in summer and about 800 per cent more at peak loads in winter, all for export.

A coastguard AW189 helicopter, normally based at Inverness but currently based at Sumburgh,is part of a familiarising exercise at Sumburgh, before the coastguard S92 helicopters based at Sumburgh since 2007 are replaced by AW189 from January.

The falling birth rate means that Shetland’s overall primary school roll is projected to drop by nearly 100 over the next couple of years. [LDRS]

An appeal application lodged with the Scottish Government has highlighted that a planning officer’s recommendation to approve permission in principle for seven new houses at Cauldhame in Trondra was “disregarded” by councillors in April. [LDRS}

Researchers from the Sea Mammal Research Unit and the Scottish Oceans Institute at the University of Saint Andrews have gained an insight into sea mammal behaviour when they become tangled in fishing nets.

The Shetland Library has announced the winners of this year’s Young Shetland Writer competition. This year’s theme of the Map resulted in 361 submissions.