A long-running dispute over four major wind farms in Scottish waters has reignited after Scotland’s most senior judge overturned a previous ruling that blocked the projects. The developments, comprising 335 turbines in the Firth of Forth and Firth of Tay, are backed by the Scottish government as vital for renewable energy, but the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) claims they threaten puffins, gannets and kittiwakes.
Last year, Lord Stewart upheld an RSPB appeal against the approved sites – Inch Cape, Neart na Gaoithe, Seagreen Alpha and Seagreen Bravo. However, Lord Carloway recently reversed that decision, allowing the projects to proceed. The RSPB says it is “hugely disappointed” and warns that the wind farms could be “amongst the most deadly for birds anywhere in the world.”
According to the RSPB, puffins would stop feeding near the turbines, starving their colonies, while gannets and kittiwakes are at risk from longer turbine blades permitted under older legislation. The society argues that the scale of the developments threatens thousands of internationally protected seabirds each year.
Developers insist the projects will generate enough power for 1.4 million homes and create hundreds of jobs. Energy minister Paul Wheelhouse said the Scottish government remains committed to offshore wind while protecting the marine environment. The RSPB is studying the judgment and may appeal to the UK Supreme Court or European courts.
