Seabird crusaders unite in bid to halt killer windfarm

A COALITION of leading Scottish nature charities yesterday called on the First Minister to stop the “world’s most deadly windfarm” for birds being built off the east coast.

- By George Mair

They fear SSE Renewables’ proposed Berwick Bank wind farm in the outer Firth of Forth could kill more birds than any other individual wind farm on the planet.

RSPB Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland, the Marine Conservation Society, the Scottish Seabird Centre and the Scottish Wildlife Trust have written to John Swinney, urging him to save seabird species from being catapulted to national extinction.

The “mega offshore wind farm”, with 300 turbines covering 1,000 square kilometres, has been approved off the East Lothian coast — near iconic seabird sites like Bass Rock — despite forecasts that it will kill tens of thousands of seabirds in its lifetime. The Scottish Government’s own assessment shows Berwick Bank is predicted to kill 2808 guillemots, 814 kittiwakes, 260 gannets, 154 razorbills, and 65 puffins in the first year alone.