Consent Variation Awarded

On 26 November 2025, Scottish Ministers, through the Marine Directorate, granted Seagreen Wind Energy Limited's Section 36C variation application (lodged 26 June 2025) for the Seagreen Alpha and Seagreen Bravo offshore wind farms, formally extending the Commencement deadline for Phase 1A of the Development from "no later than 3 years from the Commissioning of the First WTG" to "no later than 9 years 8 months from the Commissioning of the First WTG". With the first WTG having been commissioned in August 2022, this gives a latest commencement of approximately April 2032, replacing the August 2025 deadline that had become unachievable. The decision letter, signed by the Marine Directorate on behalf of Scottish Ministers, varied multiple conditions on both the Alpha and Bravo s.36 consents. Three new or revised conditions were attached: (i) Condition 36 prohibits any piling during Phase 1A, formalising the developer's commitment to remove piling from the project envelope; (ii) new Condition 35 requires submission and approval of an Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex SPA (OFFSAB) Monitoring Plan should vessel routing through the OFFSAB be required, with mitigation feeding the Vessel Management Plan; (iii) Condition 15 (VMP) and Condition 12 (DSLP consultation list, now including JRC and MOD) were revised. Condition 1 was split so the 25-year operational period applies separately to Phase 1 and Phase 1A. Statutory consultees including HES, JNCC, MCA, NatureScot, SEPA, NLB and Transport Scotland raised no objection. Prestonpans Community Council objected on the grounds that consent timeframes should be respected. The Scottish Ministers concluded the variation does not fundamentally alter the character or scale of the Development.