UK’s largest offshore wind farm to create thousands of jobs

Plans to build the UK’s largest wind farm off the East Lothian coast of Scotland are under consideration. 

SSE Renewables and Berwick Bank Wind Farm Limited are pushing for the major development which will be roughly 38 km out to sea and cost in excess of £10 billion. 

Berwick Bank will generate enough power (4.1GW) to run more than five million homes, making it the biggest planning application of its kind in the UK and one of the largest globally. 

East Lothian Council is considering construction and Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) for the onshore infrastructure, while offshore construction of the fixed-bottom technology is being looked at by the Scottish Government. A decision is expected later this year. 

SSE Renewables said it expects the scheme to be a “major catalyst for supply chain investment for Scotland”. 

And at peak construction in 2026, the project could create around 4,650 direct, indirect and induced jobs in Scotland, and 9,300 in the UK, according to BVG Associates. 

“We’re aiming to begin delivering the first energy from 2027, so it’s a very short lead time for a project of this size,” said Berwick Bank project director, Alex Meredith. 

“Berwick Bank can be a massive step forward in the delivery of renewable capacity and lessen reliance on fossil fuels and volatile imported energy supplies.” 

The Scottish Government has a target of 11GW of new offshore wind energy supply by 2030. 

“Depending on the outcome of the consenting process, we are hopeful of selecting Tier 1 contractors by the end of 2023,” said SSE Renewables. 

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