A SECONDARY grid connection will be needed for an offshore wind farm.

SSE Renewables had already secured a grid connection at Branxton, near Torness, for the Berwick Bank Wind Farm.

Now, following a holistic network design review of the British electricity network by National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO), a secondary grid connection will be created at Blyth in Northumberland.

Berwick Bank Wind Farm, which is being developed by SSE Renewables, would have a capacity of 4.1GW.

Last month, it was confirmed that the size of the proposed offshore wind farm would be reduced by about 20 per cent – just 12 months after its size had already been reduced by 10 per cent.

Despite the most recent change in size – down from 1,313.89 sq km to 1,010.23 sq km – the maximum number of turbines remains at 307.

The wind farm would be about 40 kilometres off the county coastline and not visible from the shore.

SSE Renewables has already secured a grid connection at Branxton and the company has been engaging with stakeholders in the area and developing its proposals for East Lothian over several years.

Alex Meredith, project director, said: “SSER is committed to deliver Berwick Bank Wind Farm at its full 4.1GW scale by 2030 and we have been in discussion with National Grid ESO over a number of months to identify and confirm the optimum grid connections to achieve this.

“Our first connection location has been confirmed for Branxton, East Lothian, with a connection date in 2026, with a second connection date also in Branxton in 2027. Following the holistic network design review undertaken by National Grid ESO, we have now confirmed an additional grid connection location for Blyth, Northumberland, with a connection date in 2031; however we continue to progress design and consenting work at Berwick Bank to maintain maximum optionality to fully deliver Berwick Bank’s 4.1GW capacity by 2030.”