Conservationists have launched a legal challenge in the Court of Session against four offshore wind farms which could provide power for 1.4m homes and create thousands of jobs.
RSPB Scotland is seeking judicial review of the decisions by Scottish Ministers in October 2013 to grant consent for four offshore windfarms in the Firths of Forth and Tay. They are the Neart na Gaoithe, Inch Cape, Seagreen Alpha, Seagreen Bravo developments.
The Scottish Government estimates these wind farms alone could generate 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.
But an RSPB Scotland spokesperson said:
"We have not taken this decision lightly but, having given serious consideration to these decisions to grant consent for the offshore windfarms in the Firths of Forth and Tay, we have decided to take legal action.
"Fortunately it is very rare that this is necessary and we have not had to take a legal challenge in Scotland for over 10 years. However, these decisions raise important questions about how the laws that are designed to protect our country's most important places for wildlife, and the birds that depend on them, are applied. If these decisions are allowed to stand, they could have serious implications for how birds and important wildlife sites are protected across Scotland and beyond."
The announcement has angered the industry. Lindsay Leask, Senior Policy Manager at Scottish Renewables, said: "This is really disappointing news. Every one of these projects has been through an incredibly rigorous, detailed and independent assessment lasting anywhere between one and two years, and it now looks like there will be another lengthy examination of that process in court before they can go ahead.
"This action is now holding up two-thirds of the schemes in development around our coastline.
"This new delay will make it even harder for Scotland to catch up with the rest of UK and Northern Europe, which already have a sizeable offshore wind industry and supply chain supporting thousands of jobs.
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