SSE Renewables has confirmed it plans to reduce the overall area for its proposed 4100MW Berwick Bank offshore wind project by around 20% as it makes final preparations to submit the project to Scottish Ministers for planning consent.
This is in addition to a previous reduction of 10% already made in Summer 2021.
The decision was made as part of the project’s design process following extensive stakeholder consultation, detailed ornithological studies and full environmental assessment which is nearing completion.
Updating the Environmental Impact Assessment to reflect the new boundary and taking requests made by Marine Scotland in the Scoping Opinion will result in the consent application being made in the fourth quarter of 2022 rather than the second quarter as anticipated.
Although the overall area that will form the basis of the consent application is to be reduced, the capacity of renewable electricity that will be generated by Berwick Bank will remain unchanged at 4.1GW.
Berwick Bank will be one of the largest offshore renewable energy developments in the world and will be a major contributor towards clean energy production in the UK.
The change to the boundary is one of several measures being taken by the project to reduce potential effects on ornithology as well as benthic and shellfish ecology, fishing, shipping and navigation and represents the final step in the pre-consent design process.
Berwick Bank Wind Farm project director Alex Meredith said: “We have been through a detailed process of refinement to define a consenting envelope which incorporates a number of additional measures, including the boundary change, to reduce potential environmental effects – particularly in relation to ornithology.
“We expect this important additional pre-consent change to facilitate an efficient consent determination so we can progress Berwick Bank to delivery as soon as possible.”
Sarah Edwards, consent team manager for Berwick Bank, added: “We have listened to feedback and consultation responses in the local community, especially in relation to seabirds.
“The boundary reduction will reduce potential effects on seabirds by reducing the footprint of the project on important foraging habitat.
“It also reduces the potential for barriers effects on seabirds that may access the site particularly during the breeding season.
“Ongoing analysis and emerging evidence from our existing operational offshore projects are improving our understanding of the potential effects on seabirds all the time and we will include the most comprehensive and up-to-date data in our submission in Q4.”
Along with the Section. 36 planning application for Berwick Bank, SSE Renewables is seeking to work alongside the UK and Scottish Governments and other stakeholders to help restore the health of the North Sea’s marine ecosystem through a shadow derogation case, including the closure of sandeel fisheries.