SSE Renewables is combining two proposed offshore windfarms into a single project that could boost Scottish renewable energy capacity by 30%
Berwick Bank and Marr Bank offshore windfarms, off the east coast of Scotland, have been brought together into one single windfarm – now known as Berwick Bank Wind Farm.
With a potential output of 4.1 GW, Berwick Bank Wind Farm would more than double the size of current offshore wind either in construction or operational in Scotland at the moment. It would also increase the country’s overall renewable energy capacity by nearly 30%.
The project will be capable of generating enough clean, renewable energy to power over 5M homes, equivalent to all of Scotland’s households twice over, and avoiding 8M tonnes of carbon dioxide every year – similar to removing all of Scotland’s annual car emissions.
Berwick Bank Wind Farm is already at an advanced stage of development, with a planning application which is expected to go to the Scottish Government in Q2 2022.
If consented and approved for construction, it could begin generating clean electricity in the second half of this decade and play a key role in helping Scotland meet its near-term net-zero targets of generating up to 11 GW new offshore wind by 2030.
Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Climate Change Michael Matheson said, “Decarbonising our energy demands is a vital component of our just transition to net-zero and our world-leading renewables sector will play a vital role in this.
“The continuing growth of offshore wind over the next decade will be crucial to meeting our incredibly stretching, near-term climate targets, and we will need to work innovatively, at pace and with agility to do so. I welcome this announcement from SSE Renewables which demonstrates their commitment to helping Scotland’s contribution to climate change within a generation.”
SSE Renewables Berwick Bank project director Alex Meredith said, “We want to highlight that faster delivery will help Scotland and the UK hit 2030 offshore wind targets, enable net zero in Scotland by 2045 and see the UK continue to lead the world in large-scale offshore wind deployment.
“By combining the two project proposals into a super project we believe we can deliver Berwick Bank Wind Farm – one of the world’s largest offshore wind opportunities – more quickly.
“We believe the size of Berwick Bank represents a huge opportunity to secure a multi-billion-pound investment in the Scottish and UK supply chain, bringing a wealth of opportunities for businesses of all sizes and disciplines.”
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