The judicial review lodged by RSPB Scotland into the Scottish Ministers decision in October last year to grant consent for four offshore wind farms off the Firths of Forth and Tay is due to start today (26 May).
The four wind farms are Seagreen Alpha, Seagreen Bravo, Neart na Gaoithe and Inch Cape.
The case will be heard in the Court of Session in Edinburgh and it is anticipated to last up to eight days.
An RSPB spokesman said: “We are confident that our case is sound and we are hopeful that it will be successful.”
Announcing his decision last year, Fergus Ewing, Scottish Energy Minister said: “These wind farms alone could generate a combined gross value added of between £314 million and £1.2 billion in Scotland over their lifetime and generate between 2,567 and 13,612 jobs within Scotland during the construction period.”
See also:
Scottish Energy News (13 October 2014) – http://goo.gl/Q1VY3R
Four giant new wind farms set to create 13,000 jobs in major N. Sea developments
Scottish Energy News (13 January 2015) – http://goo.gl/LMjWCO
Scottish renewable w-industry in dismay as bird charity raises legal challenge to offshore wind farm plans by SSE, Mainstream and Repsol