Controversial plans to build a substation dubbed a 'big shed' by protesters will be brought before councillors to make a decision on next week.
Inch Cape's proposals for a substation to bring energy from its planned offshore windfarm off the Angus coast, onshore at the former Cockenzie power station site in East Lothian was taken out of the council's hands when it was first put forward in 2018.
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Scottish Ministers called in the application and issued approval in February 2019 despite local objections.
However the impact of Covid has meant delays to the project getting underway. Inch Cape's initial planning permission for the substation was due to expire in February this year however they have been granted an extension to September.
Inch Cape has lodged a fresh application for the work, which will go before the local authority's planning committee next week, giving elected members their chance to decide on its future.
The renewal application for permission to build the substation seeks to further extend the time for the initial work to be carried out.
In its new application Inch Cape says the offshore wind farm, which will have 72 turbines, will be operational in the next five years with a 2025 to 2026 target date.
A report to councillors from planning officers recommends the application for approval pointing out it is the same as the one, which was approved by Scottish Ministers.
A second application for a substation on the site for Seagreen was approved last summer.
In their report officers say the only change since the original application is that the local authority declared a climate emergency in 2019.
They say additional work to investigate the climatic impact of the application had confirmed it would cause "climate forcing gas emissions" however argue that the benefits of the project outweigh the concerns.
Their report says: "The development is considered to have a significant overall beneficial effect and that the beneficial impacts of renewable electricity generated by the offshore wind farm that would be enabled by it outweighs the adverse impacts of climate forcing greenhouse gas emissions."
The application will be discussed at a virtual meeting of the planning committee on Tuesday.
