The UK Supreme Court has rejected a petition from RSPB Scotland to reconsider the consent of the 450MW Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm in the Firth of Forth, meaning the project can now proceed to construction.
Responding, Stephanie Conesa, Policy Manager at Scottish Renewables, said: “News that the Neart na Gaoithe project can now go ahead is good for Scotland, good for the UK and good for our environment.
“With the potential to create thousands of new jobs and invest hundreds of millions of pounds, this is a project which will make a significant impact on local economies.
“Crucially, Neart na Gaoithe will generate enough clean electricity to supply all the homes in a city the size of Edinburgh, so will also play a huge part in reducing our carbon emissions.
“Projects like Neart na Gaoithe, Beatrice, Hywind and others are the start of an offshore wind industry which will enable us to capture the huge wind resource off the coasts of Scotland, as other schemes are already doing in England and Wales.
“Today’s announcement, coming as it does after a long delay, is to be welcomed as an important step forward in that process.”
