Eyemouth wind farm maintenance base promises dozens of jobs

The base - when it is built - promises to create up to 50 jobs

Plans for a Borders maintenance base for a major wind farm off the Fife coast have been approved.

It has been described as a "major milestone" for the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) scheme.

The operations and maintenance base in Eyemouth has been estimated to provide up to 50 jobs over the 25-year lifespan of the development.

Project director Matthias Haag said he was "very pleased" to see the plans approved by Scottish Borders Council.

"We need an operations and maintenance base for the 25-year lifespan of NnG which brings with it fantastic socio-economic benefits for the town of Eyemouth and the local community," he said.

"Today's announcement is a significant next step towards NnG's facility being based in the town."

The scheme has been described as a "significant step" towards regeneration in Eyemouth

NnG is one of Scotland's biggest renewable energy projects and once completed will provide power for 375,000 homes.

The Eyemouth harbour base was part of contracts announced towards the end of last year.

Christine Bell, Eyemouth Harbour Trust business manager, said it "warmly welcomed" the planning approval.

"We have been working closely with the NnG project team to achieve this goal," she said.

"It's another positive and significant step towards regeneration opportunities being realised in Eyemouth."