A wind farm off the coast of Fife so large it could power every home in Scotland will apply for planning in the next fortnight.
SSE Renewables’ Berwick Bank project intends to generate 4.1 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power five million homes.
One of the largest offshore wind projects anywhere in the world, it intends to build 307 turbines.
Speaking in Dundee, Ross Cottam from SSE Renewables said he expected construction to take place in 2026 with full delivery by 2030.
He said the employment and economic benefits would be significant.
He said: “Based on studies being conducted the project has the potential for 4,650 jobs in Scotland and 9,300 UK jobs.
“It would generate £8.3 billion in the UK economy.”
The project on the outer Firth of Forth would have two connection points to the UK electricity grid, one in East Lothian and another in Blyth, Northumberland.
Multi-billion pound wind projects
Berwick Bank is one of many multi-billion investments in Scottish waters planned in the next decade.
Developers and leaders from Scotland’s supply chain were brought together at the Forth and Tay Offshore event at MSIP in Dundee.
An audience of around 300 heard that the next phase of the Seagreen project, off the coast of Angus.
John Mullin from SSE Renewables said the 34 turbines in Seagreen 1A will have a rotor diameter of 242 metres.
He said Seagreen 1A will generate 500 megawatts and bring £1bn in economic benefits to Scotland.
Meanwhile the Morven wind farm, a 2.9GW joint project by BP and ENBW off the east coast, covering an area of 860 square kilometre, will be sufficient to power more than three million homes.
Ricky Gray from BP said: “Our intention is to be operational in eight years.
“We are planning to spend £1.2bn in Scotland, £1.2bn in the rest of the UK, £3.8bn in the EU and £1bn elsewhere.
“The ambition of the project is to have greater local content which will be achieved by supplier engagement.”
Meanwhile David Sweenie, development manager for NnG Offshore Wind, said the Neart na Gaoithe project remains on track to be at full capacity in 2024.
It is currently using the Port of Dundee as a storage and logistics hub for the project.
Enthusiasm and opportunity
Shona Clive, project lead for Forth and Tay Offshore, said the event showed the economic potential for offshore wind.
She said: “Today has underlined that this opportunity is very real, with lots of enthusiasm from both developers and supply chain companies to make that work.”
The attendees were given a tour of the Port of Dundee, where £40m has been spent by Forth Ports on its infrastructure for renewables work.
David Webster, director of energy at Forth Ports, said: “Today’s event was staged only a couple of miles from Scotland’s only operational custom-built renewables hub at the Port of Dundee.
“The location and modern facilities which make it perfectly suited for major contracts in offshore wind.”
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