East Lothian is on the banks of becoming the UK’s capital for renewable energy. Could it be a capital for community energy, too?
As soon as 2028, the beginnings of the world’s largest offshore wind farm could be delivering power via East Lothian and transformative benefits to communities.
Berwick Bank is course to be the biggest development of its kind with a planned 307 turbines. The mega-project was given initial planning approval in July.
At the moment the patch in the North Sea is nothing but deep water and blue sky thinking. However, if SSE’s timetable is to be believed, that’s about to change. The first power from the site is scheduled to arrive in less than 2 years. Berwick Bank wants to go from zero to 4.1 Gigawatts pretty darn quick.
East Lothian’s changing energy landscape
At the end of September, a group of developers, councillors and community representatives met in Haddington to discuss how significant the opportunities of the developments were. And how soon East Lothian would have to act to make the most of this opportunity.
The East Lothian Energy Conference took place in the Corn Exchange. In its third year, the event discusses renewable energy projects in the area. There were plenty to discuss.
EGL1, the onshore link site for theTo farms, is already underway. 200km of sub-sea copper cables are to be laid from Scotland to the wind farms and back again to a sister site in Durham, in one ambitious journey. Wire is being spun and the ship specially commissioned for the task is under construction.
Much of the conference was about the skills, investment and community outreach needed to realise East Lothian’s ambitions.
The project is not without opposition. The Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick and the RSPB signed a joint letter in July condemning the development’s impact on sea life. As many as 4000 seagoing birds could be killed a year by the turbines, they claim.
Whatever form Berwick Bank takes, the final planning consents are due at the end of the year.
“We’re building something that hasn’t been built before, to a timeline that hasn’t been done before – but we’re very confident,” said Gary Donlin Lead Stakeholder Engagement Manager, for SSE Renewables.
Unusually for offshore projects a SSE Community benefit package is expected in April 2026, following final approval to begin construction.
What are Renewables Community Benefits – why are they being offered to East Lothian?
Community benefits (CBF) are a key part of planning Scottish renewable energy projects. What began a decade ago, as voluntary arrangements offered by developers to local communities, are now best practice in the UK and Scotland.
Around £16,000,000 a year are paid in community benefits from renewable projects.
These benefits come in the form of local donations and other arrangements to make a positive impact in the local communities where projects are being planned.
Previous benefits have included building and infrastructure improvements, bursaries for higher education and even shared ownership of sites. It’s not compensation but a social responsibility programme. There is currently no set requirements for benefits, so each project must work with local communities to meet their needs.
Shared ownership as community benefits options
While benefits are often tied to tangible outcomes, in some cases, they are offered as a shared stake in the projects themselves.
For projects like the Newlands Hill Windfarm, benefits have been offered in the form of shared ownership. The local community were given a 1% stake in the project, with an option to increase this to a further 4%. Other countries such as Denmark have established shared ownership schemes, and have used these to establish ongoing benefits funds through part state-ownership of offshore farms.
Community benefits continue to be a recommendation only. Though there is currently consultation by UK governments to make programmes a requirement, they are not tied to planning applications.
In Scotland there are best practices and expectations, particularly for onshore developments. The Scottish Government sets expectations that CBF programmes offer the value equivalent to £5,000 per installed megawatt per annum, over the lifetime of a project. Community benefits for offshore renewables is a less defined prospect. Though this could be changing in the near future.
Whatever form they take, programmes are expected to improve the areas where renewables projects are taking place. The benefits offering is still being finalised for Berwick Bank. At 4.1 billion watts, it is an enormous development and the positive impact are expected to be similarly significant.
There are already CBF in place from developers, preparing the ground. There are up to 14 new electricity infrastructure projects planned for the region.
With power from the world’s largest windfarm in the world coming ashore just east of Dunbar, it is going to have a sizeable affect on East Lothia. Far sooner than people might expect.
The East Lothian Climate Hub will be working with local residents and developers shape any potential offerings, in the near future, to make sure benefits packages meet the priorities of local communities.
