Court gives green light for Tay and Forth arrays

Jobs and investment unlocked due to court’s decision

The potential for hundreds of jobs has been unlocked after a court ruling paved the way for up to £10 billion of offshore renewables development off the Tay and Fife coast.

Scotland’s most senior judge, the Lord President, Lord Carloway dismissed an earlier ruling, upholding bird conservation charity RSPB Scotland’s objection that Scottish Ministers erred when granting planing approvals for three major offshore windfarms.

The most advanced project is the £2 billion 450MW Neart Na Gaoithe windfarm in the outer Forth estuary, which is fully funded and has a power contract.

Its developer Mainstream Renewable Power said it now intended moving quickly towards the construction phase.

The other two projects are the 784MW Inch Cape array and the Seagreen Alpha and Bravo arrays, the largest of the proposed windfarms with a collective potential output of 1050MW.

The development of each array will create hundreds of jobs and help Scotland to reach its long-term green energy production targets.

Consents were initially awarded by then Energy Minister Fergus Ewing in the autumn of 2014 but development was stymied when RSPB Scotland intervened to call for a judicial review.

In July last year, the prospect of the arrays being built was hit when Lord Stewart found in favour of the bird preservation charity’s objection.

However, that judgement has now been set aside.

David Sweenie, the offshore manager for Scotland for Neart Na Gaoithe developer Mainstream Renewable Power, said: “As a nationally-significant infrastructure project, Neart na Gaoithe will help Scotland and the UK meet their climate and energy goals, and develop a world-leading offshore wind sector.”

He added: “We plan to move quickly with all our partners to bring this project to construction, and deliver the vitally important jobs and investment that it will create.”

A further appeal to the UK Supreme Court is possible but it would be an expensive and time-consuming option.

Stuart Housden, director of RSPB Scotland, said the charity would review the judgement before deciding on any new course of action.

“Whilst we fully support deployment of renewable energy, this must not be at any cost,” he said.

“Combined, these four huge projects threaten to kill thousands of Scotland’s internationally protected seabirds every year, including thousands of puffins, gannets and kittiwakes.

“These could be among the most deadly windfarms for birds anywhere in the world.

“It was with great reluctance and as a last resort, but in these circumstances, it was clear that RSPB Scotland had to make a stand.”

The judgment comes just months after SSE, the Perth-based utility company, and Seagreen, in a joint venture, started construction work on the Beatrice array in the outer Moray Firth.