I’m writing to you both, First Minister and Martin Pibworth, CEO of SSE, to ask that you take urgent action to ensure that the proposed Berwick Bank offshore windfarm does not proceed as planned.
Scottish Government's impact assessment projected that this development could kill 261 Gannets, 2,808 Guillemots, 815 Kittiwakes, 66 Puffins, and 154 Razorbills in the first year alone, and tens of thousands more over its lifetime. This is against a backdrop of 70% of our seabird species being in decline.
Building Berwick Bank as planned would be a huge setback for Scotland’s natural heritage. Its impacts are so severe, it could fast track species like Kittiwake to local, or even national, extinction. Berwick Bank is set to be the deadliest windfarm for birds we are aware of anywhere in the world. I understand that consent for the project is conditional on these impacts being compensated for, but do not consider this to be either realistic or acceptable.
This is not the kind of global leadership any of us would wish Scotland to be known for, and as well as doing irreversible damage to wildlife, it will undermine the good reputation of both Scotland and SSE around the world.
I therefore urge you both to use your positions to stop Berwick Bank from progressing as planned, and to get behind nature positive offshore wind projects instead.