Kevin McKenna Guardian    In the waters of the North Sea a few miles off Scotland’s east coast, a nine-year battle has been raging that threatens a fragile and unique environmental equilibrium. The struggle has made mortal enemies of two huge lobbies that share a passionate commitment to the environment.   On one side are the developers of four vast windfarms comprising 335 turbines, which are planned for the waters of the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Tay.

The windfarms are backed by the Scottish government, which regards renewable wind energy as key to the economic future. Pitched against them is the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which claims the scale of the developments threatens the existence of some of Scotland’s best-loved species of seabird. While the developers claim that the windfarm projects could generate enough power to supply 1.4 million homes, the RSPB argues that they threaten the future of seabird colonies populated by puffins, gannets and kittiwakes.

After ministers approved the four turbine developments – Inch Cape, Neart na Gaoithe, Seagreen Alpha and Seagreen Bravo – in 2014, the RSPB won what it thought was a landmark victory last year, when one of Scotland’s most senior judges, Lord Stewart, upheld its appeal.

Last week though, Scotland’s most senior judge, Lord Carloway, reversed the decision, reigniting a fierce dispute. Speaking after Lord Carloway’s ruling, Stuart Housden, the director of RSPB Scotland, said: “We are hugely disappointed by today’s judgment. Whilst we fully support deployment of renewable energy, this must not be at any cost. Combined, these four huge projects threaten to kill thousands of Scotland’s internationally protected seabirds every year, including thousands of puffins, gannets and kittiwakes. These could be amongst the most deadly windfarms for birds anywhere in the world.” Click here to read more