Green light for Berwick Bank paves way for world’s largest offshore wind farm
Scottish Government grants consent order for SSE’s Berwick Bank offshore wind farm, after a decade of meticulous development work
Berwick Bank has the potential to inject c.£8 billion of value into the UK economy and create over 9,000 UK jobs
At full capacity, Berwick Bank could generate enough electricity to power more than six million homes annually
SSE welcomes the Scottish Government’s decision to grant consent for the pivotal 4.1GW Berwick Bank offshore wind farm, located around 38km east of the Scottish Borders coastline, boosting Scotland’s net zero ambitions and the UK’s clean power mission.
Today’s Section 36 consent determination by Scottish ministers approves the project’s main offshore wind farm array in the outer Firth of Forth off the East Lothian coast.
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 of the project will now 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 offshore wind farm is vital to the UK’s 2030 clean power mission and to the energy security goals of the Scottish and UK governments.
If fully delivered, Berwick Bank would become the world’s largest offshore wind farm, capable of generating enough clean energy to power more than six million homes annually.
Berwick Bank Site Boundary and Grid Routes
Berwick Bank has the potential to create 9,300 direct, indirect and induced jobs in the UK at peak construction – with around 4,650 of these jobs in Scotland. Over the project’s expected lifetime, it is estimated Berwick Bank could inject £8.3 billion of value into the UK economy.
Securing consent for the main offshore wind farm array is a vital step towards the UK Government’s mission, as set out in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, to increase installed offshore wind capacity to up to 50GW as part of a mass deployment of offshore wind over the next five years.
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.
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. At over 4GW of potential capacity, Berwick Bank can play a pivotal role in meeting the mission of Clean Power 2030 for the UK and achieving Scotland’s decarbonisation and climate action goals.
“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.
“Berwick Bank has the potential to rapidly scale-up Scotland’s operational renewable energy capacity and can accelerate the delivery of homegrown, affordable and secure clean energy to UK consumers from Scottish offshore wind, helping meet the UK’s clean power ambition by 2030.”