Plans lodged for one of the world’s biggest wind farms off Fife coast

By Aileen Robertson

December 30 2022, 6:00am

Turbines at the Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm off the Caithness coast, which is partly owned by SSE Renewables. Image: SSE

Energy giant SSE has lodged plans to build one of the world’s biggest wind farms off the Fife coast.

The Berwick Bank development in the outer Firth of Forth would provide power to more than five million homes.

And it comes with the potential to create 6,000 full time equivalent jobs.

Bosses at SSE Renewables say the 4.1 gigawatt (GW) array must go ahead if Scotland is to meet legally binding climate change targets.

But planning documents submitted to Angus Council indicate this may come at some cost to wildlife, including the Forth’s already under pressure seabird populations.

What are the plans?

SSE want to install up to 307 offshore turbines at a site east of Fife in the outer Firth of Forth.

The array would have a potential lifespan of 35 years, during which the company says it could generate £8.3 billion for the UK economy.

The 4.1GW wind farm would be located in the outer Forth. Image: DC Thomson.

SSE’s planning statement says Berwick Bank could be up and running as early as 2026.

It says the 4.1GW output is “essential to close the gap” on the Scottish Government’s offshore wind target.

The target is 11GW by 2030.

The document states without the scheme there are “no alternative opportunities” elsewhere in Scottish waters.

It says nowhere else has the potential to deliver the same capacity “against a similar time frame”.

And it warns: “Without Berwick Bank, it is very possible that delivery of multiple policies will fall short.”

Environmental impact vs public interest

A report prepared as part of a Habitats Regulations Appraisal warns that “adverse effects” could not be ruled out across the Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex SPA (Special Protection Area).

Islands in the Forth are key breeding grounds for seabirds including puffins, kittiwakes, razorbills, guillemots and gannets.

Seabirds flying over the estuary face the risk of colliding with turbine blades.

Meanwhile, the report says the wind farm off Fife could ‘displace’ species including guillemots and puffins from their foraging sites. This means they would have to travel further to find food.

A puffin in the Forth. Image: Steven Brown/DC Thomson.

Last year, SSE bosses said they planned to mitigate the impact on seabirds by reducing the overall size of the site and making the turbine blades higher above sea level.

The developers say Scottish Ministers considering the plans will have to strike a balance.

“It is for the Scottish Ministers in conjunction with the Secretary of State to determine whether the substantial, long-term public interests that Berwick Bank serves, outweigh the public interest in the conservation of the qualifying species of the affected SPAs.”

The planning statement describes the case for Berwick Bank as “compelling”.

“It is considered that the substantial, clear and compelling benefits of the proposed development outweigh any potential individual or cumulative adverse effects.”