SSE Renewables has insisted that the 4100MW Berwick Bank offshore wind farm is key to tackling climate change, after conservation charities called for the project to be refused.
Conservation groups led by RSPB Scotland urged Scottish Ministers to refuse the scheme, arguing that permitting the project will threaten the future of seabirds and offshore wind in Scotland.
Berwick Bank project director Alex Meredith said: “Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels is critical to ensuring we prevent the worst possible impacts of climate change which, according to the most recent expert assessment, is the biggest single threat to Scottish seabirds.
“The UN has already warned the world could warm by a massive 3.1C this century without greater action.
“Developing a world-leading offshore wind industry, with projects of the scale and ambition of Berwick Bank, is a key part of combatting the catastrophic consequences of that.
“But the reality is that Berwick Bank has now been in planning for almost 30 months and whilst we will always continue to work constructively with stakeholders we must move forward urgently with action and delivery for the climate and our iconic Scottish seabirds.”
RSPB Scotland, the Marine Conservation Society, National Trust for Scotland, Scottish Seabird Centre and Scottish Wildlife Trust want Scottish Ministers to refuse the scheme.
Berwick Bank is planned for an area four times the size of the entire City of Edinburgh Council area, just 40km off the East Lothian coast.
It is close to seabird sites such as the Bass Rock and Isle of May.