Colin McNeill
A controversial £2 billion wind farm development would create 2,000
construction jobs and more than 200 jobs every year of its lifespan, a
study has found.
Analysis suggests that over its 30 year lifetime, the Neart na Gaoithe
(NnG) project could generate an economic impact of around £827 million for
the Scottish economy, equivalent to 0.6 per cent of Scotland’s Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) in 2016.
The study also found it could support 13,900 “person years” of employment
over its lifetime – the equivalent of around 2,000 jobs for every year of
construction and 236 for every year of operation.
Developers Mainstream Renewable Power commissioned the research from the
independent Fraser of Allander Institute at Strathclyde University.
It follows the RSPB applying to the Supreme Court for permission to appeal
against the development, which the conservation charity believes could lead
to major declines in the population of sea birds.
The RSPB says that, as a result of the turbines, in the breeding season the
population of puffins in the area would be 25 per cent lower, gannet
numbers would fall 21 per cent and kittiwake numbers would drop by 24 per
cent.
They says the populations of guillemot and razorbill would also be affected.
The move is the next stage in a legal battle that has been ongoing since
the Scottish Government gave consent to four major wind farms in the Firth
of Forth and the Firth of Tay in 2014.
The charity initially won a court victory but it was later overturned,
clearing the development and prompting the RSPB to seek a further appeal.
Scotland’s Court of Session last month refused the application for the case
to be sent to the Supreme Court, but the RSPB has now applied directly to
the UK’s highest court.
Andy Kinsella, chief operating officer at Mainstream Renewable Power, said:
“The results of the Fraser of Allander Institute’s study show the full
extent of NnG’s impact on the Scottish economy for the first time.
“The study confirms that NnG will support the creation or retention of
large numbers of high skilled, high quality jobs in Scotland during
construction and its 25 year operational lifetime.
“The NnG Offshore Wind Farm Coalition, launched this month, has called on
RSPB Scotland to abandon its legal action challenging this project and
three others.
“Today’s report shows the full extent of the economic benefit to Scotland
put at risk by this ongoing action. I would ask RSPB Scotland to listen to
this call and allow the project to move forward into construction.”
On making the Supreme Court application, RSPB Scotland director Anne McCall
said: “RSPB Scotland has not taken this decision lightly, however our
concerns with the manner in which Scottish Ministers’ took their decisions
in 2014 remain undiminished.
“Additionally, the issues of the case and the recent Inner House judgement
extend beyond simply the impacts of these developments on important seabird
populations.
“Therefore due to the implications of this latest decision for many aspects
of our work we felt we had no choice but to apply to the Supreme Court.
“We are hopeful that our application is successful and that we are granted
leave to appeal so these important issues of public interest can be
considered in detail by the Supreme Court.”
The wind farm project could generate enough power to supply the equivalent
of 1.4 million homes.
The Scottish Government backed the project saying it is focused on creating
a sustainable energy future for Scotland so that the country can meet its
obligations to fight climate change, thereby tackling a key threat to
marine ecosystems.
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