THE expansion of offshore North Sea wind farms “should be paused” after whale strandings in Scotland doubled over the last decade, it has been claimed.
Campaigners warn huge turbines place ecosystems under “imminent threat” amid the SNP Government’s drive to slash carbon emissions by 75 per cent by 2030.
Data shows there were 929 cetacean beachings in Scotland last year compared to 428 in 2013.
On July 11, about 77 long finned pilot whales washed up on Orkney, the biggest mass stranding in almost a century.
A 2022 report by Defra pointed out construction of offshore wind farms can cause sudden, extremely loud “impulsive noise” and that “marine mammals are sensitive to noise sources which have the potential to kill, injure or disturb”.
Environmental campaigner Jason Endfield said: “Given the apparent correlation between strandings and rapid wind farms expansion, it’s imperative we halt projects until we understand the extent of the problem. It has potential to be catastrophic.”
Scotland has seven offshore wind farms, with two more under construction and a further five projects in development.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) is investigating the mass stranding at Sanday. Speculation as to potential cause would not be helpful at this point.”
SSE renewables insisted there was “no scientific evidence to substantiate” campaigners’ claims.
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