Go-Ahead Given For 450 Megawatt Neart na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm – CleanTechnica

Published on July 21st, 2017 | by Joshua S Hill

July 21st, 2017 by Joshua S Hill

After more than two years, Mainstream Renewable Power has this week finally welcomed the end to legal battles which had halted progress of its 2 billion, 450 MWNeart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm.

In May of this year, we touched on the second-to-last step in the legal battles which had surrounded theNeart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm. The UKsRoyal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has been trying valiantly to prevent the construction of as much as 2.3 gigawatts (GW) worth of offshore wind off the coast of Scotland, due to concerns over the impact on migratory seabirds. In July of 2016,a judge in the Outer Court of Sessionin Scotland revoked consent for four separate wind farms the 600-megawatt (MW) Inch Cape Offshore wind farm, the 450 MW Neart Na Gaoithe offshore wind farm, and the 525 MW (each) Seagreen Alpha and Bravo projects. This May, however,the Inner House at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Scotland, overturned the July revocation.

Specifically,Lord Carloway, the Lord President of the Court of Session,penned an Opinion of the Courtwhich dispatched the original judges findings, saying that the judge strayed well beyond the limits of testing the legality of the process and has turned himself into the decision-maker following what appears to have been treated as an appeal against the respondents decisions on the facts. Further, the judge appears to have acted almost as if he were the reporter at such an inquiry For this reason alone, his decision on this ground cannot be sustained.

This week, the Inner House of the Court of Session has refused the RSPBs application to appeal the Courts May decision to the countrys Supreme Court, making way for the Neart na Gaoithe to proceed.

After more than two years and two court hearings, we hope that the RSPB acknowledges a fair hearing and allows us to get on with delivering the very significant benefits this project brings to the Scottish economy and its environment, saidAndy Kinsella, Chief Operating Officer, Mainstream Renewable Power.Once constructed, this 2bn project will be capable of supplying 325,000 homes a city the size of Edinburgh with clean energy.

It will create more than 500 direct jobs during construction and over 100 direct permanent jobs once operational. 540 million will be directly invested in Scotland during the construction phase with a further 610m during the operational phase.

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Tags: Inch Cape Offshore, Inch Cape Offshore wind farm, Mainstream Renewable Power, Neart Na Gaoithe, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, RSPB, Scotland, Seagreen Alpha, Seagreen Alpha and Bravo, Seagreen Bravo

Joshua S Hill I'm a Christian, a nerd, a geek, and I believe that we're pretty quickly directing planet-Earth into hell in a handbasket! I also write for Fantasy Book Review (.co.uk), and can be found writing articles for a variety of other sites. Check me out at about.me for more.

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Go-Ahead Given For 450 Megawatt Neart na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm - CleanTechnica