Friday October 2nd 2026
Eyemouth Harbour
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Eyemouth’s offshore wind ambitions are very much alive despite the town’s port losing out on the creation of 100 new jobs, a councillor has pledged.
It was announced this week that Montrose Port on Scotland’s Angus coast has been selected by SSE as the preferred location for the operations and maintenance base for its planned 1.4GW Berwick Bank B offshore wind farm.
The 100 new full-time jobs will include technicians and engineers responsible for the day-to-day offshore operations of the wind farm throughout its expected operational life of more than 35 years.
The decision is undoubtedly a blow to the ambition of Eyemouth Harbour Trust but far from a fatal one, believes East Berwickshire Independent councillor James Anderson.\
Mr Anderson congratulated Montrose who had “worked hard to establish themselves in the offshore wind sector”.
But he did express concern at the concentration of Scotland’s offshore wind economy in a relatively small number of locations.
He added: “Eyemouth has spent years positioning itself to become one of those clusters. Always the underdog, Eyemouth Harbour Trust has consistently punched above its weight and had significant success.
“This announcement is disappointing, but it is certainly not the end of Eyemouth Harbour’s ambitions.
“It’s part of a process. Yes, it’s annoying to see more Scottish Government focus directed away from the Borders, but it’s certainly not the end.
“The recent £1.4m Crown Estate Supply Chain Accelerator awards towards progressing the £250 million harbour expansion demonstrates that Eyemouth remains firmly in the running for the future.
“This isn’t the time to retreat from our ambition; it’s time to double down.
“It’s the time to understand why Berwick Bank B went elsewhere, learn from it, strengthen Eyemouth’s proposition and make absolutely sure that everyone making decisions about the next generation of offshore investment understands what Eyemouth and East Berwickshire have to offer.
“We may have lost one opportunity. We have not lost the opportunity.”
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