The biggest proposed wind farm in the UK – and among the largest globally – is currently in a state of planning delay, with the Scottish Government’s inaction hindering thousands of jobs and billions in potential investments.
SSE Renewables’ Berwick Bank, a 4GW capacity offshore wind project located off Scotland’s east coast, has been waiting for a decision from Scottish Ministers for two years – leading to industry calls for John Swinney to personally step in to expedite the approval process.
The 1GW Seagreen wind farm off the Angus coast is presently the largest operational project in Scotland. Berwick Bank, which is four times its size, would enhance Scotland’s renewable energy capacity by nearly a third, generating over 4,500 jobs and contributing £8.3 billion to the UK economy.
In the Scottish Budget presented last week, Finance Secretary Shona Robison revealed plans for a new offshore wind hub in the North-East aimed at streamlining planning procedures to hasten the rollout of offshore wind energy.
Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Russell Borthwick has commented:
“This isn’t an anniversary that the Scottish Government should be proud of.
“We have in Berwick Bank an offshore wind project of transformative scale, which will benefit Scotland’s economy, create jobs and give confidence to our energy supply chain.
“No country can be taken seriously in its commitment to the energy transition unless we’re consenting projects of this nature at pace.
“Talk about ‘streamlining’ the process is all well and good, but if plans are left gathering dust on a civil servants’ desk for two years, then questions must be asked.
“As Scotland marks two years since the Section 36 application for Berwick Bank was submitted, the First Minister should roll up his sleeves and intervene – put the project to the top of his in-tray, grant consent and give Scotland’s clean energy sector an early Christmas present and some much-needed confidence.”
