RSPB Scotland's fight against 2.3 GW offshore wind heading to Supreme Court

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Scotland aims to continue its fight against four offshore wind projects with a combined capacity of 2.3 GW in the Supreme Court.

The conservation charity said on Monday it has approached the Inner House for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court against the Inner House of the Court of Session's decision to uphold the government’s consent for the four projects in the firths of Forth and Tay. The list includes the 450-MW Neart na Gaoithe, the 784-MW Inch Cape, and the Seagreen Alpha and Seagreen Bravo schemes, of 525 MW each.

RSPB Scotland explained that its concerns are based on predictions that the proposed offshore wind farms could kill tens of thousands of seabirds. "We are concerned that this judgment could set worrying precedents for the protection of wildlife across Scotland and the UK,” RSPB Scotland’s director Anne McCall said.

The projects got development consents back in 2014, but in January 2015 RSPB Scotland challenged the Scottish government’s decision to approve them. The Outer House of the Court of Session in July 2016 ruled that there were flaws in the approval process for the projects, but Scottish Ministers were successful in their appeal against that decision, as announced in May.

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