The Crown Estate has opted to proceed with a derogation route for Offshore Wind Leasing Round 4 projects following the completion of its Plan-Level Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA).
The seabed authority has notified the UK and Welsh Governments of its intent to proceed with all six of the Round 4 offshore wind projects to the final stage of the leasing process subject to any environmental impacts being fully offset through environmental compensatory measures.
It said that it was unable to rule out the possibility of adverse effects from its plans for Round 4 on site integrity at two protected sites that form part of ‘the national site network’.
These are the Flamborough and Filey Coast special protection area which faces risks due to the potential impact on kittiwakes and the Dogger Bank special area of conservation which will could face impacts on sandbank habitats.
The derogation process enables plans or projects to progress if certain tests are met, while ensuring any environmental impacts are fully offset through environmental compensatory measures.
This can include a range of actions including creating or restoring the same or similar habitat, or measures to reduce other environmental pressures on the affected habitats.
In considering whether to make use of a derogation route, The Crown Estate concluded that “there are no alternative solutions for delivering the nationally important objectives of the Round 4 plan.”
“There are clear, imperative reasons of overriding public interest to proceed, including the urgent need to deliver clean, renewable energy in support of the UK Government’s ambition to deliver 50GW of offshore wind by 2030 and to reach the legally binding net zero target by 2050.
“Environmental compensatory measures can be secured to fully offset the potential harm to the two sites and to ensure that the overall coherence of the national site network is protected.”
The Habitats Regulations Assessment is a requirement as part of the offshore leasing round planning process and involves the assessment of the potential impacts on the most valuable environmental habitats in the UK.
For offshore wind developments, this is an important step in helping to conserve the UK’s marine and coastal environment, The Crown Estate said.
The proposed derogation for Round 4 will now be considered by BEIS and the Welsh Government in line with the HRA process set out in law.
The Crown Estate Head of Marine Planning Olivia Thomas said: “As pressures on our marine environment increase, it’s imperative that we can find ways to deliver the clean power that is urgently needed to help combat the energy crisis and deliver greater energy security, while recognising the importance of protecting habitats and biodiversity offshore.
“It’s therefore vital that any proposed developments are rigorously assessed to understand their impacts and that’s why we carefully followed the HRA process set out in the Habitats Regulations for the Round 4 plan.
“We are grateful for the valuable independent expertise provided by environmental and conservation organisations throughout the Round 4 HRA process.”
In 2021 Crown Estate announced that it had selected six proposed new offshore wind projects in the waters around England and Wales through leasing round 4 which has the potential to deliver up to 8GW of vital new offshore wind capacity.