The Berwick Bank Wind Farm is a massive proposed project in the Firth of Forth, North Sea, southeast Scotland, UK. After a decade of planning and development, the project will go ahead if approved by the Scottish Government. SSE Renewables, the company behind the development has been waiting for approval since application submission in 2022.

One Of The Largest Wind Farms In The World . Careful, Detailed Planning, Consideration And Consultation With The Many Organisations Concerned Are Taking Place. The Location Is In Deeper Water Than Most Windfarms Worldwide And Fishing Businesses Will Be Affected. Consideration Will Also Be Given To The Hundreds Of Ships That Pass Through The Firth Of Fourth Every Month, Including Container Cargo Vessels, Oil And LPG Tankers.

Map Location of the Berwick Bank Wind Farm

Located east of Fife, Scotland, UK with a proposed 307 turbines.

The cables will be run on the sea bed, south west to the Scottish mainland.

The turbines will be too far out in to the North Sea to be visible from land.

 

Where The Cables Come Ashore, There Will Be A Large Converter Station And Substation Covering Acres Of Land. New Pylons Will Be Constructed Routing The Power To The UK National Grid. These All Require Careful Planning And Negotiation With Landowners, Local People, Road, Rail, And Local Government Departments.

There Have Been Objections And These Will Be Dealt With In Various Ways Including Financial Compensation. It Will Be Very Difficult For The Scottish And UK Governments To Meet Their Green Targets If This Wind Farm Does Not Get The Go-ahead. Therefore, It Is Likely To Get Some Form Of Approval If Not Full-scale.

8 Billion GBP For UK Government

Assuming Work Is Allowed To Start Later This Year, Completion Could Be Just Before 2030. At Full Capacity, This Project Alone Would Deliver Over 4GW, Increasing Scotland's Clean Electrical Energy Output By 30%. That Is Enough To Power Over 5 Million Extra Homes Every Year. More Homes Than Exist In The Entirety Of Scotland. Generating Electricity And Generating Profit For The UK Economy Up To An Estimated £8 Billion GPB (around $10 Billion USD).

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There Will Be Jobs Created. During Construction, It Is Estimated That There Will Be Up To 10,000 People Employed

If given consent for the full development, it will be one of the largest wind farms in the world . Careful, detailed planning, consideration and consultation with the many organisations concerned are taking place. The location is in deeper water than most windfarms worldwide and fishing businesses will be affected. Consideration will also be given to the hundreds of ships that pass through the firth of fourth every month, including container cargo vessels, oil and LPG tankers.

Map Location of the Berwick Bank Wind Farm

Located east of Fife, Scotland, UK with a proposed 307 turbines.

The cables will be run on the sea bed, south west to the Scottish mainland.

The turbines will be too far out in to the North Sea to be visible from land.

 

Where the cables come ashore, there will be a large converter station and substation covering acres of land. New pylons will be constructed routing the power to the UK National Grid. These all require careful planning and negotiation with landowners, local people, road, rail, and local government departments.

There have been objections and these will be dealt with in various ways including financial compensation. It will be very difficult for the Scottish and UK governments to meet their green targets if this wind farm does not get the go-ahead. Therefore, it is likely to get some form of approval if not full-scale.

8 Billion GBP For UK Government

Assuming work is allowed to start later this year, completion could be just before 2030. At full capacity, this project alone would deliver over 4GW, increasing Scotland's clean electrical energy output by 30%. That is enough to power over 5 million extra homes every year. More homes than exist in the entirety of Scotland. Generating electricity and generating profit for the UK economy up to an estimated £8 billion GPB (around $10 billion USD).

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There will be jobs created. During construction, it is estimated that there will be up to 10,000 people employed , around half in Scotland. Many will commute from their homes in the central belt of Scotland and the eastern borders region. But at this scale, others will be required from outside the local area. Accommodation and other living facilities including transport links will be built to support the transient workforce. This will benefit the local and wider economy for several years. After completion, there will be over a hundred permanent jobs to maintain, service and administer the wind farm.

SSE Renewables are of course keen to promote the benefits of their proposed wind farm. They liken it as an opportunity to kick start the renewables industry in Scotland to a greater level. They think that a project on this scale will encourage manufacturers to invest and build large facilities for this and future projects. Similar to what the discovery of the massive Forties oil field did for the Scottish oil industry back in the 1970s. It got the attention of the North American oil big dogs bringing massive investment, manufacturing and exploration expansion.

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Helena Montgomery
Chewells Contributor

Helena is our longest serving contributor. She lives in an area heavily dependant upon the oil industry. She... »

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Replies

• John McD (Apr 17, 2024)
  Sand eel fishing will be effected. This will be good for the breeding bird colonies on the Isle of May and many other birds and fish in the wider area.
• Francisco Martinez (Mar 27, 2024)
  307 proposed offshore wind turbines, in around 50m of water.

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