Scotland Gives SSE Plc Consent To Build World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm

Scotland has awarded SSE Plc consent to construct the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the Berwick Bank Wind Farm off the eastern coast of the country.

It will power 6 million homes once completed.

The 4.1 gigawatt project was in development for a decade, and this was the final principal stage before it could start bidding for government subsidies in the next wind auction starting in August.

The project is important for the U.K to reach its goal for decarbonising the power grid by 2030. However, building it could add more to consumer bills, which are already among the highest in the world, as it increases the constraints on the country’s electric drive and drive investments to alleviate them.

The news came after U.S President Donald Trump visited Scotland and said that he did not like wind farms.

Though Scotland is striving to develop its wind energy sector, Trump said Aberdeen was Europe’s oil capital and said it could expand in that niche.

The world’s largest offshore wind farm would bring £8.3 billion of value into the UK economy and create 9,300 jobs.

UK-based utility SSE said that it plans to bid in an upcoming government auction to subsidise new renewable energy projects. If it wins at the auction, the project would sell power at fixed prices for two decades.

Source: Maritime Shipping News