Cancel Berwick Bank

Nature charities gathered today outside SSE headquarters with a renewed plea to cancel Berwick Bank offshore wind development. The development is predicted to kill tens of thousands of seabirds over its lifetime.

Representatives from the RSPB, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Marine Conservation Society, National Trust for Scotland and the Scottish Seabird Centre, delivered a petition with over 12,000 signatures calling for the Berwick Bank windfarm to be cancelled.

Scottish Government consented the development in July 2025, despite significant opposition from nature charities and wildlife lovers across Scotland. Consent has been granted on the condition that a sufficient seabird compensation plan is put in place. Conservationists argue that there is no way to compensate for such a devastating ecological impact and are calling for the development to be scrapped in favour of more nature positive offshore solutions.

Harry Huyton, CEO of the Scottish Seabird Centre said: “We are grateful to the 12,000 plus nature lovers who are sending SSE a stark message today – the potential impacts of Berwick Bank are too devastating for it to go forward as proposed. SSE need to go back to the drawing board and focus on nature-friendly offshore wind projects instead.

“We want to see a thriving offshore wind industry that is helping Scotland meet its climate goals and build a green economy, but it must be developed in harmony with nature. There is no shortage of sites for lower impact offshore windfarms that should be prioritised over damaging developments like Berwick Bank."

Director of RSPB Scotland Anne McCall said: "We joined today’s demonstration with the simple message: stop Berwick Bank. Scotland’s incredible seabirds are in crisis, and climate change is one of the many threats they face. We support offshore wind in the right places, away from the most sensitive sites for wildlife.  

“But Berwick Bank is planned in the worst possible place, close to internationally important seabird sites like the Bass Rock. It would sit slap bang in the middle of a vital area where Puffins, Gannets and Guillemots search for food for their chicks. As a result, Berwick Bank is predicted by the developer's own assessment to kill thousands of protected seabirds.  

“We believe Berwick Bank would become the deadliest windfarm in the world for birds. We are deeply concerned this development could push species like Kittiwakes to extinction in Scotland. We cannot stand by and let that happen. Thank you to the thousands of people who have spoken up against this deadly development."

Calum Duncan, Head of Policy and Advocacy at the Marine Conservation Society said: “Biodiversity is our strongest natural defence against climate change. Poorly placed offshore wind sites not only risk accelerating the decline of ocean wildlife but our ability to combat the climate emergency. The Berwick Bank proposals overlap a protected area of the Firth of Forth, threatening important centuries old seabed species and internationally significant seabird populations. More than 12,000 people have signed this petition, demonstrating clear support for the decision to be reconsidered to protect our seas. Pressing ahead with the development not only undermines the Scottish Government's environmental credibility in tackling the climate and nature crises together but ignores public concern.”

Diarmid Hearns, the National Trust for Scotland's Director of Conservation & Policy said: "If the objective is to is to reach net zero in order to tackle climate change, so that nature can be conserved, why then choose a location for the turbines that will destroy thousands of seabirds and put vital ecosystems under even more pressure?

"We suspect that having committed to a project without having understood the environmental impacts, the developers are now unable to find a credible way forward. The UK and Scottish Governments now have the opportunity to make SSEN reconsider and come up with a proposal that is good for both the climate and wildlife - and we at the National Trust for Scotland urge them to do that."

Jo Pike, CEO of the Scottish Wildlife Trust said:  “The amazing response to the petition mirrors the strength of feeling we have heard from our members and the communities we work with, both in Berwickshire and across Scotland. They are disappointed and shocked that this development has been granted consent, given the implications for our seabird populations. It is clear that renewable energy is needed in our response to the climate crisis, but there are ways of expanding offshore wind without the devastating impacts that Berwick Bank would have. We do not believe there is a way to compensate for these impacts and hope that this is a moment for SSE to reflect and ultimately change course.”  

Images available for download here.

Editor’s notes:

Scotland is home to internationally important seabird populations, including almost half of the world’s Northern Gannets, with the biggest colonies on Earth found at St Kilda and the Bass Rock
70% of Scotland’s seabird species are in decline (Seabirds Count, 2023)
Berwick Bank is a proposal by SSE Renewables of more than 300 turbines covering 1,000 square kilometres off the East Lothian coast, an area four times the size of Edinburgh. Each turbine will be up to 355m high to blade tip.
In its first year alone, the Scottish Government’s case assessment predicts Berwick Bank will kill 2,808 Guillemots, 814 Kittiwakes, 260 Gannets, 154 Razorbills, and 65 Puffins. More information is available here: https://marine.gov.scot/sites/default/files/berwick_bank_wind_farm_-_derogation_case_assessment_-_redaction.pdf
Berwick Bank is estimated to generate 4.1GW of energy, but many other projects have been identified through Scotwind (offshore leasing areas identified by Crown Estate Scotland) which could collectively deliver up to 30GW, without such devastating impacts on wildlife.
The letter to the First Minister is available on request.
Berwick Bank would be the largest single offshore wind project in the world, with a close proximity to globally important seabird colonies and vital feeding grounds. For these reasons, it has the potential to be the deadliest single windfarm project RSPB is aware of on the planet.
Kittiwakes are among the seabirds on the UK Red List of highest conservation concern and are currently at risk of national extinction in Scotland. Conservation groups fear Berwick Bank could drive this species to national extinction.
Earlier this year more than 2500 people emailed Gillian Martin, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy to ‘Say No to Berwick Bank’ as part of a public campaign led by the Scottish Seabird Centre. Today RSPB Scotland, Scottish Wildlife Trust, National Trust for Scotland, Marine Conservation Society and the Scottish Seabird Centre are again uniting to call on their extensive supporter bases to add their voices to a new campaign to stop this devastating development from progressing: https://www.seabird.org/cancel-berwick-bank-offshore-windfarm

ENDS

For further press information: Jess Thompson, Marketing and Communications Manager, email jesst@seabird.org, tel: +44 (0) 7748908027.