The Scottish Government has granted consent for SSE Renewables' Berwick Bank offshore wind farm, a 4.1GW project located around 38km east of the Scottish Borders coastline. The 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, representing the last major consent necessary for the project to proceed.

Project Development and Approval

The consent approval culminates more than a decade of meticulous development work by SSE Renewables on the project's design. The decision boosts Scotland's net zero ambitions and supports the UK's clean power mission. 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.

Capacity and Energy Generation

If fully delivered, Berwick Bank would become the world's largest offshore wind farm. At full capacity, the project could generate enough electricity to power more than six million homes annually. The project could increase Scotland's current operational renewable electricity capacity by almost 25%, supporting the country's efforts to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2045.

The offshore wind farm is positioned as vital to the UK's 2030 clean power mission and to the energy security goals of both the Scottish and UK governments. Securing consent for the main offshore wind farm array represents a crucial step toward the UK Government's mission, as outlined 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.

Economic Impact and Job Creation

Berwick Bank has the potential to inject approximately £8 billion of value into the UK economy over the project's expected lifetime. The project is estimated to create 9,300 direct, indirect and induced jobs in the UK at peak construction, with around 4,650 of these jobs located in Scotland.

Industry Response

Stephen Wheeler, Managing Director of SSE Renewables, welcomed the Scottish Government's decision to grant the consent order. Wheeler stated that at over 4GW of potential capacity, Berwick Bank can play a pivotal role in meeting the Clean Power 2030 mission for the UK and achieving Scotland's decarbonisation and climate action goals.

Wheeler emphasized that as the UK's clean energy champion, SSE looks forward to the UK Government delivering the most ambitious CfD scheme yet through the upcoming AR7 auction round. He noted that 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.