AN energy giant has lodged plans to build one of the world’s largest wind farms in Scotland.
The proposals by SSE could power more than five million homes and create 6000 full-time equivalent jobs.
Plans for the Berwick Bank “super project” have been submitted to Angus Council and include a wind farm of up to 307 offshore turbines at a site east of Fife in the outer Firth of Forth.
SSE said it could generate £8.3 billion for the UK economy and that the 4.1GW output is “essential to close the gap” on the Scottish Government’s offshore wind target of 11GW by 2030.
It could be powering homes by 2026 and have a lifespan of 35 years.
If plans are given the green light, the site would be located 40km off the Fife and East Lothian coastlines.
It is already at an advanced stage of development with a grid connection having been secured at Branxton, near Torness.
Papers submitted as part of the application say there were “no alternative opportunities” for such a site in Scottish waters and nowhere else has the potential to deliver the same capacity within the proposed timeframe.
There are some concerns the giant development could have an impact on wildlife including seabird populations.
When SSE filed a scoping report in 2021, Energy and Net Zero Secretary Michael Matheson welcomed the blueprint.
Angus planning chiefs will now consider the application and respond in due course.
