RSPB Scotland has announced its opposition to the Scottish Government’s plans to expand offshore wind capacity to 40GW by 2040, warning that the proposed scale-up poses an unacceptable risk to seabird populations.
The charity said seabirds are already in sharp decline, with around 70% of species under threat from climate change, fishing pressures and invasive species.
RSPB Scotland said the planned quadrupling of offshore wind capacity has been announced with “almost nothing” to safeguard vulnerable seabird populations and could push species such as puffins, gannets and kittiwakes closer to extinction.
The organisation is calling for two urgent actions: the refusal of consent for the Berwick Bank project, and the integration of seabird recovery and resilience measures into all future offshore wind developments.
RSPB Scotland said the 4.1GW Berwick Bank project would be “particularly devastating”, warning it could kill or displace thousands of seabirds due to its location in critical feeding grounds off East Lothian.
Andrew Tait, senior marine conservation planner at RSPB Scotland, said: “Offshore wind must work with nature, not against it.”
“The question is: does the Scottish Government want to preside over the biggest decline in seabird populations in generations, or is it serious about its pledge to put nature at the heart of climate action?”
RSPB Scotland said it supports offshore wind only when developments are carefully designed and sited to minimise harm to wildlife. The group said the current approach fails to meet that standard.
It is urging the public to oppose the expansion by responding to two Scottish Government consultations on offshore wind policy and sectoral marine planning.
The organisation has also launched a campaign encouraging direct public appeals to ministers to halt further offshore wind developments until seabird protections are guaranteed.