'Major step' as ministers greenlight wind farm big enough to power all Scottish homes

Scottish ministers have greenlit one of the world's largest offshore wind farms.

SSE-owned Berwick Bank will be so big it could generate enough electricity per year to power every home in Scotland twice over.

Sited almost 25 miles off the coast of St Abbs in the Scottish Borders, its estimated capacity will be 4.1 gigawatts.

The development site is rated as highly important for wildlife and consent for the construction and operation of the wind farm is contingent on the approval of a plan on compensating for adverse impacts on seabirds.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said “careful consideration” had been given and the government would work with the fishing and conservation sectors to “balance the needs of people and nature”.

However, National Trust for Scotland (NTS) called the decision “deeply disappointing” and said it fears “significant damage to seabird colonies”.

Forbes said: “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.”

The UK Government said the decision by Scottish ministers means enough offshore wind has been granted to meet targets drawn up for 2030.

The Clean Power Action Plan published in December set a target of 43-50GW capacity. Facilities with a total of almost 16GW have now been built and another 28GW has been consented to.

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said Scotland is  “at the front of the race to clean energy across the UK”.

He commented: “Berwick Bank has the potential to make a huge contribution to the UK Government's growth and clean energy missions and create clean power jobs in Scotland.”

Murray added: “These large-scale renewable energy projects will ensure people in Scotland truly benefit from clean power, lower bills, and good quality job opportunities. ”

The announcement comes following US President Donald Trump’s visit to Scotland, during which he criticised wind power, saying Scotland has “the ugliest windmills I’ve ever seen”.

Diarmid Hearns, interim director of conservation and policy at NTS, said the proposed mitigations for wildlife it has seen fall short of the expected impacts. He said: “We look forward to hearing more about the detailed seabird compensation plan, that is a condition of the approval, as soon as this available. If this is not adequate - and it needs to be a major improvement on what is currently proposed - then the development should not proceed.

“At the National Trust for Scotland we are supportive of the drive towards renewable energy, but not at the expense of the very nature and habitats this effort is supposed to help save in the face of climate change. We'll be monitoring our populations at St Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve closely, and reporting on the impacts. 

“This is not a good decision for nature and further erodes Scotland’s reputation as a nation that cares for its environment and recognises its importance to our collective future.”