Road to Renewables - Scottish Parliament & Berwick Bank
SSE’s COP26 electric bus visits Scottish Parliament and North Berwick to showcase how Berwick Bank offshore windfarm could power homes and jobs
SSE’s COP26 ‘Road to Renewables’ EV tour heralds Berwick Bank’s potential to generate enough clean energy to power all of Scotland’s households twice over; and boost jobs and investment
MSPs will get the chance to learn about the benefits for both the Scottish environment and economy of a proposed offshore windfarm called Berwick Bank, as part of SSE’s COP26 electric bus roadshow.
The visit to Holyrood in Edinburgh from 2-4pm on Thursday will also give Scotland’s politicians the chance to meet apprentices at SSE who are already helping the country on its net zero journey – just days before COP26 gets underway.
SSE’s ‘Road to Renewables’ roadshow is an 11-day electric bus journey from London, which today [Thurs Oct 28th] called in at North Berwick, before visiting the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. It will then head to its final stop of Glasgow on Friday 29th October – in time for the opening of COP26.
With up to 4.1GW of clean capacity Berwick Bank will play a critical role powering the UK's transition to net zero, addressing the climate emergency and cementing SSE's position as a world-leading offshore wind developer. It can be shovel ready by 2024, generating clean electricity in time to meet nearly 40% of Scottish Government’s 2030 offshore wind target.
SSE intend to submit a planning application to the Scottish Government & Marine Scotland in Spring 2022. The Berwick Bank site is one of the most studied areas of seabed in the world and would be potentially capable of powering the entirety of Scotland’s households twice over once fully operational.
Alex Meredith, SSE Renewables’ Berwick Bank Project Director, said: “Investment in renewables is a win - win for Scotland and the UK so we’re delighted to bring that message directly to the Scottish Parliament. A project of this scale brings the capacity to train the workforce of the future, so we can introduce apprentices who not only represent the green talent of tomorrow but are also powering change today as we transition towards net zero.
“As world leaders come to Scotland to discuss the climate emergency at COP26 we want to highlight how Scotland can be a leader in taking action. Berwick Bank would deliver on the ambition for Scotland to be the global leader in large-scale offshore wind development. If we take this project forward quickly, we can seize the opportunity to secure a multi-billion-pound investment in the Scottish and UK supply chain, bringing a wealth of opportunities for Scottish businesses.”
Before SSE’s electric COP26 bus arrived at the Scottish Parliament it also stopped at North Berwick as part of an effort to engage with the local community about the Berwick Bank project.
SSE is a major partner at COP26; and alongside the Go-Ahead group, Alexander Dennis, BYD and SWARCO Smart Charging is using an electric bus tour to showcase examples of the national effort already underway to decarbonise energy and transport.
