Latest news with #EdMiliband
Scotsman
7 hours ago
- Business
- Scotsman
'Catastrophic': Fears Berwick Bank wind farm will 'catapult seabird species towards extinction'
Sign up to our Scotsman Rural News - A weekly of the Hay's Way tour of Scotland emailed direct to you. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... SNP ministers have been accused of allowing 'catastrophic' harm to Scotland's globally important seabirds amid accusations the Scottish Government has approved the world's largest offshore wind farm 'at the expense of the very nature and habitats this effort is supposed to help save'. Campaigners hit out at the Scottish Government after approving the Berwick Bank wind farm despite widespread concerns it will 'catapult some of Scotland's most-loved seabird species towards extinction'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Berwick Bank, an offshore wind farm to be built off the East Lothian coast, has been approved. | Contributed The Berwick Bank wind farm, located about 24 miles from the Scottish coast in East Lothian, will have an estimated capacity of 4.1GW, which could generate enough electricity each year to power every household in Scotland twice over. If fully delivered, Berwick Bank would become the world's largest offshore wind farm. It would stand about 20 miles from the globally recognised seabird colonies of St Abb's and Bass Rock, the latter being internationally known for its famous gannet colony. £8bn boost to the economy Up to 307 turbines could be constructed across an area four times the size of Edinburgh. The developers, SSE Renewables, stressed the project had the potential to inject around £8 billion into the UK economy and create more than 9,000 jobs. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But widespread concerns were previously raised after SSE Renewables warned that more than 30,000 bird collisions could take place over the 35-year lifespan of the project. The key renewables project being handed consent from SNP ministers has been welcomed by the Labour government, with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband stressing the project puts the UK 'within touching distance of our offshore wind targets to deliver clean power by 2030'. Bass Rock's gannet population could be put at risk by the Berwick Bank wind farm (Picture: Lisa Ferguson) Consent for the construction and operation of the wind farm is subject to SSE Renewables producing a detailed sea bird compensation plan outlining how adverse impacts on seabirds will be compensated for - which will need to be approved by SNP ministers. Conservationists have highlighted the irony of a key project to tackle the climate crisis being poised to cause damage to wildlife. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Major improvement' to protect birds needed The National Trust for Scotland's interim director of conservation and policy, Diarmid Hearns, said the decision to approve Berwick Ban was 'deeply disappointing'. He said: 'More than that, we fear it will also be the cause of significant harm to the seabird colonies of St Abb's Head National Nature Reserve and elsewhere on the coastline. "As we observed in our submission, the proposed mitigations by the developers fell far short of alleviating the expected impacts in terms of fatalities and disruption. Indeed, the Scottish Government's own chief scientific advisor marine and a review panel drawn from the Scottish Science Advisory Council came to the same conclusion.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The location and scale of the Berwick Bank offshore wind farm. | Kimberley Mogg/The Scotsman Mr Hearns said the seabird plan 'needs to be a major improvement on what is currently proposed'. He said: "At the National Trust for Scotland, we are supportive of the drive towards renewable energy, but not at the expense of the very nature and habitats this effort is supposed to help save in the face of climate change. Scotland's nature reputation at risk "This is not a good decision for nature and further erodes Scotland's reputation as a nation that cares for its environment and recognises its importance to our collective future." Prior to the consent being approved by SNP ministers, charities including RSPB Scotland wrote to First Minister John Swinney to voice their concerns. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad RSPB director Anne McCall | RSPB Anne McCall, director of RSPB Scotland, said the approval marked 'a very dark day for seabirds', adding it was 'a terrible decision on a really bad development'. She said: '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 wind farms significantly higher. This one wind farm is going to make it really challenging to accelerate renewable projects across Scottish seas. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad '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.' Ms McCall stressed RSPB Scotland 'recognises climate change is one of the biggest threats to seabirds', but warned 'there needs to be seabirds left to save'. She said: 'This is predicted to be one of the most damaging wind farms for birds we are aware of anywhere on the planet.' Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said Scottish ministers 'have given the Berwick Bank wind farm application extremely careful consideration'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes | PA 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 (INTOG) leasing rounds. UK within 'touching distance' of clean power 2030 ambition '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.' Mr Miliband also backed the consent for Berwick Bank. Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband. PIC: Paul Campbell/PA Wire He said: 'We welcome this decision, which puts us within touching distance of our offshore wind targets to deliver clean power by 2030 – boosting our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We need to take back control of our energy and more offshore wind getting the green light marks a huge step forward in Britain's energy security and getting bills down for good.' Russell Borthwick, the chief executive of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the consent, but called for lessons to be learned from the application awaiting approval for more than two years. Concerns over consent delays He said: 'Projects of this scale are essential to a successful energy transition – decarbonising our energy system while reindustrialising our economy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Businesses in the north east of Scotland – our ports, service companies and firms pivoting from oil and gas to renewables – stand ready to help in driving major projects like these forward. 'That said, we hope the Scottish Government has learnt lessons from Berwick Bank. If we want to accelerate the transition, we cannot have projects sitting on the ministers' desks awaiting consent for well over two years. Resources need to be beefed up and decisions must be made more swiftly.' Stephen Wheeler, managing director of SSE Renewables, said: 'The Scottish Government's decision to grant a consent order for Berwick Bank offshore wind farm is hugely welcome. 'At over 4GW of potential capacity, Berwick Bank can play a pivotal role in meeting the mission of clean power 2030 for the UK and achieving Scotland's decarbonisation and climate action goals. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
SNP approves giant wind farm despite backlash from Trump and RSPB
One of the world's largest offshore wind farms has been given the green light by the SNP only days after Donald Trump warned that 'ugly' turbines were destroying Scotland's beauty and seabirds. Scottish ministers gave consent to the Berwick Bank project, off the coast of East Lothian, where developers SSE Renewables want to construct up to 307 900ft-high turbines. On a windy day, the project aims to generate enough electricity to power every home in Scotland twice over and around 17pc of residences across the UK. Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, welcomed the decision, and the Government said enough offshore wind farms had now been approved to meet green targets. But the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said it was a 'very dark day' for seabirds in the area, over concerns tens of thousands will be killed by the turbines. It warned that the wind farm lies close to Bass Rock, the world's largest gannet colony, and to the Isle of May, a national nature reserve that is home to a large colony of puffins, plus terns, gulls and many migratory species. The charity said that the 'terrible decision' would make it easier to get planning permission for other offshore wind farms in the area and this could 'catapult' some species 'towards extinction'. The announcement came only three days after Mr Trump used a visit to Scotland to warn that wind farms were 'destroying the beauty' of the country's fields and waterways. Calling them 'ugly monsters' that produced 'the most expensive form of energy', the US president claimed he had limited the construction of 'windmills' in the US because they ' kill all your birds.' The Scottish Government's own assessment estimated that the project will kill 261 gannets, 815 kittiwakes, 2808 guillemots, 66 puffins and 154 razorbills per year throughout the 35-year lifetime of the development. SNP ministers said their decision to approve the scheme was subject to SSE Renewables producing a detailed seabird 'compensation plan' outlining how any 'adverse impacts' would be tackled. This will have to be rubber-stamped before construction of the turbines starts. But RSPB Scotland said it was unclear how the 'compensation plan' would make up for thousands of seabirds being killed by the turbines. Anne McCall, the charity's director, 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. 'We are incredibly concerned that [the] Scottish Government have granted consent for a project which could catapult some of Scotland's most-loved seabird species towards extinction.' Diarmid Hearns, the National Trust for Scotland's interim director of conservation and policy, said the decision was 'deeply disappointing'. 'More than that, we fear it will also be the cause of significant harm to the seabird colonies of St Abb's Head national nature reserve and elsewhere on the coastline,' he added. Kate Forbes, the Deputy First Minister, 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.' She added: '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.' Mr Miliband said: 'We welcome this decision, which puts us within touching distance of our offshore wind targets to deliver clean power by 2030 – boosting our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. 'We need to take back control of our energy and more offshore wind getting the green light marks a huge step forward in Britain's energy security and getting bills down for good.' Mr Miliband wants between 43GW and 50GW of offshore wind by 2030, with only 16GW operational so far. The Berwick Bank project would deliver an additional 4.1 GW. That would bring the generating capacity of consented wind farms in the planning pipeline to 28GW – enough to meet Mr Miliband's target if they are all built. SSE Renewables said the project has the potential to create 9,300 direct and indirect jobs in the UK at 'peak construction', around 4,650 of which would be in Scotland. Stephen Wheeler, the firm's managing director, said: 'Berwick Bank has the potential to rapidly scale-up Scotland's operational renewable energy capacity and can accelerate the delivery of home-grown, affordable and secure clean energy to UK consumers from Scottish offshore wind, helping meet the UK's clean power ambition by 2030.' Before his first term as president, Mr Trump lost a long-running battle at Holyrood and in the courts to prevent the construction of turbines off the coast of his golf resort in Aberdeenshire. Although energy policy is decided by the UK Government, ministers at Holyrood have control over planning, including final say over which schemes get the green light.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
One of world's largest offshore wind farms approved
One of the world's largest offshore wind farms has been approved by the Scottish government. The Berwick Bank project - to be positioned 23 miles off the east coast in the North Sea - could generate enough electricity to meet the annual energy needs of every household in Scotland twice over. Conservation groups had urged rejection of the scheme over its impact on seabirds in the area and called it a "very dark day for seabirds". Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said the approval had been given after "extremely careful consideration". More stories from South Scotland Listen to news for the Scottish Borders on BBC Sounds Located about 23 miles (38km) from the important seabird colonies of the St Abb's Head National Nature Reserve and the Bass Rock, developers SSE Renewables want to construct up to 307 turbines. The project prompted five charities, led by RSPB Scotland, to urge ministers to reject the plans which it is predicted will kill tens of thousands of seabirds. The Scottish government said the approval was subject to the company producing a detailed seabird compensation plan outlining how any adverse impact would be tackled. That plan will need to be approved by Scottish ministers ahead of the project proceeding. Kate Forbes 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." She said it was also an important decision for the renewables sector and the government would continue to work with developers to "balance the needs of people and nature". 'Huge step forward' UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: "We welcome this decision which puts us within touching distance of our offshore wind targets to deliver clean power by 2030 – boosting our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower." He said it marked a "huge step forward in Britain's energy security and getting bills down for good". Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said the project had the potential to make a "huge contribution to the UK government's growth and clean energy missions and create clean power jobs in Scotland". He said it underlined the "massive potential" clean energy had to "generate jobs, wealth and opportunity for Scottish families". SSE Renewables said the project had the potential to create thousands of jobs and inject £8.3bn into the economy over its lifetime. Managing director Stephen Wheeler said the consent was "hugely welcome". He said the project could "rapidly scale-up Scotland's operational renewable energy capacity" and help deliver "homegrown, affordable and secure clean energy". However, Anne McCall, director of RSPB Scotland, described it as a "very dark day for seabirds". "It is a terrible decision on a really bad development," she said. "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." She said she feared the consent could "catapult some of Scotland's most-loved seabird species towards extinction". She stressed they supported offshore wind but "in the right locations". 'Deeply disappointing' The National Trust for Scotland's interim director of conservation and policy, Diarmid Hearns said the decision was "deeply disappointing". "More than that, we fear it will also be the cause of significant harm to the seabird colonies of St Abb's Head national nature reserve and elsewhere on the coastline," he added. "As we observed in our submission, the proposed mitigations by the developers fell far short of alleviating the expected impacts in terms of fatalities and disruption." He said they would be monitoring bird populations at the reserve and would report any impact. Trump attacks on wind turbines The news came just days after President Trump launched the latest in a series of attacks on the move towards using wind turbines to generate electricity. Speaking on his visit to Scotland, he said: "You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds, and if they're stuck in the ocean, ruining your oceans. Stop the windmills." The president is a long-standing critic of turbines, having fought and lost a long battle at Holyrood and in the courts to prevent a wind power development being built in the North Sea off Aberdeen. Trump argued that the project, which included 11 wind turbines, would spoil the view from his golf course at Menie. Plea to block wind farm over thousands of forecast bird deaths How Trump's loathing for wind turbines started with a Scottish court battle Up to 110 turbines planned for site off Cape Wrath Solve the daily Crossword
ITV News
17 hours ago
- Business
- ITV News
Northumberland to be linked to 'world's biggest' offshore wind farm as plans approved
A massive offshore wind farm, which will be linked to Northumberland, has been approved by the Scottish Government. Developers behind the project have called it the "world biggest" offshore wind farm. Berwick Bank will feature up to 307 turbines, and SSE Renewables say they would provide 4.1 gigawatts of capacity, enough to power up to six million homes annually. The turbines would be in Scottish waters off the coast of East Lothian, and would have two links to the grid via undersea cables - one at Blyth in Northumberland, and the other near Dunbar in East Lothian. Scotland's Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes welcomed the approval, saying the Government had given the application 'extremely careful consideration'. 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.' 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. UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the announcement means there have been enough wind farms approved in the UK to meet the Government's ambition of delivering clean power by 2030. He said: 'We welcome this decision, which puts us within touching distance of our offshore wind targets to deliver clean power by 2030 – boosting our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.'
Telegraph
17 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Britain's gas imports surge as Miliband abandons North Sea
Britain's imports of gas have surged as Ed Miliband's shutdown of the North Sea triggers a slump in production. Government figures published on Thursday show imports jumped by 20pc between January and March just as North Sea gas output plummeted 6.9pc. The fall comes as the Energy Secretary's ban on new drilling begins to bite. The revelations come just days after Donald Trump lambasted Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Miliband for imposing a 78pc windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas profits and for banning new drilling. The US president posted on his Truth Social site: 'North Sea Oil is a TREASURE CHEST for the United Kingdom. The taxes are so high, however, that it makes no sense. They have essentially told drillers and oil companies that, 'we don't want you'.' While Mr Miliband is ending new production in British waters, demand for gas remains strong. Consumption jumped by 8.5pc during the first three months of the year as freezing temperatures prompted gas-fired power stations to turn on to help support the country's energy system. Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, said: 'Labour's plans to shut down the North Sea when we're going to need gas for decades is sheer economic insanity. No other country is doing this. It will only make us more reliant on foreign imports.' Mike Offshore Energies UK, which represents the UK oil and gas industry, said the UK would need gas for decades to come both to provide home heating and to generate electricity when renewables failed. He said: 'The UK needs a diverse energy system which offers multiple choices. Wind will provide an increasing share of the mix but intermittency will remain an issue for which gas power generation will provide back-up.' The slump in gas production coincided with a fall in winter wind speeds caused by periods of unusually still weather. Output from Britain's wind farms fell 13pc during the first three months of the year, with windless spells helping push the UK close to blackouts on at least one occasion. 'Near record low wind speeds for the quarter led to a 13pc drop in wind generation,' said the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero report. 'Wind generation provided 28.5pc of the total generation, short of the 38.1pc provided by gas. The increase in gas generation reflected low wind speeds and the result of a drop in net imports of electricity.' Richard Tice, Reform UK's energy spokesman, said: 'Despite extra wind power investment and billions more in subsidies, wind generation fell 13pc over winter. Plus, government policy meant we produced less gas from the North Sea so imports surged. This is the economics of a madhouse.' About 180 of the UK's 280 oil and gas fields are expected to shut down by 2030 in response to the previous government's windfall taxes and Mr Miliband's ban on new drilling. The majority of the gas imports came from Norway, the US and Qatar. Gas from Norway comes via an undersea pipeline, while imports from elsewhere arrive as liquefied natural gas (LNG) on giant shipping tankers. Barnaby Wharton, of Renewable UK, said: 'There is no one who credibly believes we could meet the UK's electricity needs by burning the gas that's left in the North Sea. 'We successfully drilled nearly all of our North Sea oil and gas in the boom years of the 80s and 90s. Now we need to capitalise on our world leading wind resources or we are going to end up importing billions of pounds of foreign gas to keep the lights on.'
