One of the world’s largest offshore wind farms, 24 miles off the East Lothian coast, has been given consent by the Scottish Government.
Berwick Bank wind farm will have an estimated capacity of 4.1 gigawatts (GW) which, with current technology, could generate enough electricity each year to power six million homes – equal to every household in Scotland around twice over.
The decision was announced just days after US President Donald Trump urged the UK to remove what he calls windmills, calling them “ugly monsters”.
Developer SSE Renewables is now required to produce a detailed sea bird compensation plan outlining its impact on marine life.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “Ministers have given the Berwick Bank wind farm application extremely careful consideration.
“The decision to grant consent to Berwick Bank is a major step in Scotland’s progress towards achieving net zero and tackling the climate crisis, as well as supporting national energy security and growing our green economy.
“It is also an important decision for Scotland’s renewables sector, and this investment will be further built upon through the delivery of Scotland’s significant future pipeline of offshore wind projects under the ScotWind and the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing rounds.
“We will continue to work closely with the developer and key stakeholders, including those working in fishing and conservation – to minimise the impact of the development on the marine environment and other marine users – and balance the needs of people and nature.”
The decision represents the last major consent necessary for the project to proceed and is the culmination of more than a decade of meticulous development work by SSE Renewables on the project’s design.
Delivery will be subject to SSE securing a contract for new low-carbon offshore wind power under the UK’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, as well as reaching a final investment decision.
Berwick Bank has the potential to create 9,300 direct, indirect and induced jobs in the UK at peak construction – with around 4,650 in Scotland.
Over the project’s expected lifetime, it is estimated Berwick Bank could inject £8.3 billion of value into the UK economy.
The project could increase Scotland’s current operational renewable electricity capacity by almost 25%, boosting the country’s efforts to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2045. It could displace eight million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.
Stephen Wheeler, managing director, SSE Renewables said: “The Scottish Government’s decision to grant a consent order for Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm is hugely welcome.
“As the UK’s clean energy champion, SSE now looks forward to the UK Government delivering the most ambitious CfD scheme yet through the upcoming AR7 auction round.”
The Berwick Bank Wind Farm project previously comprised two separate offshore wind farm proposals, Berwick Bank and Marr Bank. Following initial rounds of consultation, the two projects were combined into a single 4.1GW renewable energy development opportunity in September 2021 – Berwick Bank Wind Farm.
It will comprise up to 307 installed offshore wind turbines across a 1,010 km² marine site. Each turbine would be installed on a fixed bottom foundation.
The wind farm will also comprise up to ten offshore substation platforms, as well as associated export and inter-array subsea cabling that would export power from the offshore wind farm to landfall.
The wind farm will connect to the UK national grid via two connection points, one at Branxton near Dunbar in East Lothian in Scotland and another at Cambois near Blyth in Northumberland in north-east England.
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