Northumberland County Council has granted preliminary approval for the onshore transmission infrastructure and grid connection for SSE Renewables' Berwick Bank wind farm, which is proposed to be located off the east coast of Scotland. The 4,100 MW project is set to connect a substantial portion of its capacity to the grid at Cambois, near Blyth, in Northumberland, England.
This decision marks a significant milestone for the Berwick Bank project, which now awaits a decision on its Section 36 application from Scottish ministers for the offshore components of the wind farm.
The Berwick Bank wind project, located in the Outer Firth of Forth, is essential to achieving both UK and Scottish government targets for 2030, SSE Renewables stated, highlighting the findings of the NESO Clean Power 2030 report. The report emphasizes that London's Clean Power Mission relies on large-scale projects like Berwick Bank to meet its objectives.
If approved and fully developed, the project would boost Scotland's current renewable energy capacity by nearly 30%, generating sufficient electricity to supply more than six million homes annually, according to the developer. SSE Renewables aims to reach a final investment decision on Berwick Bank in 2026.
Alex Meredith, the project director, described Northumberland County Council's approval as “a huge step forward,” stating, “This consent can be added to the approval of onshore infrastructure in East Lothian. Therefore, we know we can plug in what will be the largest single offshore wind farm in the world.” Meredith emphasized the need for Scottish government approval, urging officials to “allow us to power it up.”
The Berwick Bank offshore application has been with the Scottish government for 23 months, a period nearly as long as it took SSE Renewables to construct the 1 GW Seagreen offshore wind farm, currently Scotland's largest. A positive decision on the application would allow the project to participate in the UK's next round of renewable energy auctions, Allocation Round 7 (AR7), after missing the previous round.
Meredith noted the importance of the project for meeting climate goals, stating, “Berwick Bank will be crucial to achieving 2030 targets, tackling affordability, and fighting climate change by getting us off fossil fuels, whilst providing nearly 10,000 jobs and over £8 billion of investment in the UK.” He added, “It is vital we have a decision on our offshore application before the end of the year.”
The proposed site, located 39 kilometers off East Lothian's coast, represents the largest offshore wind farm planning application submitted in the UK to date. Northumberland County Council's approval includes the project's onshore export cables, converter station, and related grid infrastructure for the Cambois connection point. In East Lothian, the project also has an additional onshore connection at Branxton, granted approval in December 2023.
The final decision on the project's offshore application will determine whether Berwick Bank advances as a key component of the UK's renewable energy expansion, supporting the national push towards a clean energy transition.
