‘Dark day’ for Scotland’s iconic puffins who face ‘extinction’ after SNP grant permission for massive wind farm 

Scotland’s iconic puffins could face extinction after the Scottish Government granted permission for one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms to be built. The Berwick Bank development will see up to 307 turbines built in the outer Firth of Forth, about 40km off the Scottish coast and near key seabird colonies like Bass Rock, St Abb’s Head and the Isle of May.

SNP Ministers confirmed on Thursday that they had passed through the plans, despite developers SSE admitting itself in its own environmental impact assessment that more than 31,000 bird collisions are estimated during its lifespan. Conservationists have spent years building up the seabird population on the east coast.

But all their work helping species like puffins, razorbills, guillemots and gannets flourish may be spoiled by the creation of the massive turbines. The island of Craigleith, just off North Berwick, has seen a dramatic resurgence in its puffin population after nearly two decades of conservation work.

The Scottish Seabird Centre has a long running SOS Puffin project where volunteers have helped clear invasive tree mallow which once covered 80% of the land and blocked puffins from nesting in their burrows. Today, an estimated 5,000 breeding pairs live on Craigleith up from around 1,000 in 2007.

But across the UK, seabird numbers are falling which coincides with the construction of massive turbines in the waters surrounding the UK. The latest seabird census found around 70% of Scotland’s seabird species had dropped over a 20-year period, with as many as seven seabird species experiencing declines of over 50%.

Conservationists fear Berwick Bank could threaten puffins and other seabird populations off the east coast. American President Donald Trump warned John Swinney against constructing more “windmills” which he claimed spoiled the scenic views of the coast in Scotland.

Anne McCall, Director of RSPB Scotland, said: “This is a very dark day for seabirds. It is a terrible decision on a really bad development. Berwick Bank would be catastrophic for Scotland’s globally important seabirds which are already facing alarming declines.

“In addition, its impacts are so damaging they will make the relative impacts of other windfarms significantly higher. This one windfarm is going to make it really challenging to accelerate renewable projects across Scottish seas. We are incredibly concerned that Scottish Government have granted consent for a project which could catapult some of Scotland’s most-loved seabird species towards extinction.

“RSPB Scotland recognises climate change is one of the biggest threats to seabirds, but there needs to be seabirds left to save. We support nature-positive offshore wind, in the right locations with minimised impacts on wildlife and measures to restore and protect seabird populations. But this is predicted to be one of the most damaging windfarms for birds we are aware of anywhere on the planet.

“We will be carefully scrutinising the details of the consent documents over the coming hours and days and considering what further steps we will take.”

Senior conservation officer Emily Burton told STV News: “We’re very worried about the impact it’ll have. These seabirds are already struggling on the islands we look after. They will be flying near the development when they forage and feed. We need to look a bit more closely at these issues and work out how we do our very best for our seabirds. It’s very important.”

Berwick Bank aims to deliver 4.1 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, which is believed to be enough to power every home in Scotland twice over and around 17% of the homes in the UK. The development will feature up to 307 turbines and have two connection points to the grid – one in Dunbar, East Lothian, and another in Blyth, Northumberland.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes boasted about the fact it had been approved. She said: “The decision to grant consent to Berwick Bank is a major step in Scotland’s progress towards achieving net zero and tackling the climate crisis, as well as supporting national energy security and growing our green economy.

“It is also an important decision for Scotland’s renewables sector, and this investment will be further built upon through the delivery of Scotland’s significant future pipeline of offshore wind projects under the ScotWind and the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas leasing rounds.

“We will continue to work closely with the developer and key stakeholders, including those working in fishing and conservation – to minimise the impact of the development on the marine environment and other marine users – and balance the needs of people and nature.”

Developers SSE Renewables will have to provide a plan to counter any impact the wind farm may have on seabirds to be approved by ministers.