SSE has stepped up its presence in wind power by buying out its partner in developing a pair of wind farms in the Firth of Forth and Firth of Tay.

The big six energy giant said it would pay £118m for Fluor’s 50pc stake in the Seagreen offshore wind projects, just months ahead of its exit from the domestic retail market.

Martin Pibworth, SSE’s wholesale energy boss, said the Seagreen acquisition “aligns with SSE’s ambition” to boost its growth through owning, operating and developing clean energy projects.

SSE plans to cut ties with the overcrowded energy supply market just as the Government’s price cap descends on standard variable tariffs later this year.

It will instead focus on generating power and distributing gas and electricity via networks to more than 3.7 million homes in Scotland and Southern England, while its supply arm merges with Npower to create a new mega-player in the market.

Donald Brown, of Brewin Dolphin, said the deal may offset some of the worrying signs in the group’s last trading update. However, it will not completely soothe the pain of a near-£200m profit warning and future dividend risk, he said.