ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the impact of oil developments on the small rural region of Shetland. It analyses the three main types of oil-related developments within Shetland: first, oil supply bases have been established on the island to provide the onshore link for rigs and platforms operating in the northern North Sea. Second, the Sullom Voe oil terminal, currently under construction, will provide the onshore requirements associated with the landing of oil by pipeline from the Brent/Ninian complex of oilfields in the East Shetland basin. Finally, the construction of the supply bases, and more especially the terminal will itself be a major activity within Shetland over a period of years. The chapter briefly considers the time path of oil developments in Shetland and its implications for oil impact. It expresses that certain elements of oil impact may violate the assumptions implicit in the foregoing input-output analysis and hence alter the estimates of income and employment.
