The Scottish Government has approved the 4.1GW Berwick Bank offshore wind farm, located around 38km east of the Scottish Borders coastline.

The Section 36 consent determination by Scottish ministers was announced on 31 July and represents the last major consent necessary for the project to proceed as well as the culmination of more than a decade of meticulous development work by SSE Renewables on the project’s design. The final stamp of approval sanctions the project’s main offshore wind farm array in the outer Firth of Forth off Scotland’s East Lothian coast.

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.

According to a statement issued by SSE Renewables, 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.

The company says 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’s estimated that Berwick Bank could inject £8.3 billion of value into the UK economy, increasing Scotland’s current operational renewable electricity capacity by almost 25%, and boosting the country’s efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2045.

Said Stephen Wheeler, Managing Director, SSE Renewables, “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.”

The BBC reports that Berwick Bank is located about 23 miles (38km) from the important seabird colonies of the St Abbs Head National Nature Reserve and the Bass Rock, and that conservation groups had “urged rejection of the scheme over its impact on seabirds in the area.” Read more.