The UK’s Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult has outlined out a series of priorities to help UK floating wind developers better navigate the planning process.
In its ‘Floating Offshore Wind Environmental Interactions Roadmap’ the group identifies several areas that will allow the floating wind industry to develop a portfolio of activities to mitigate potential risks, creating a faster and more efficient consenting process for future floating offshore wind farms.
The report was published by ORE’s Floating Offshore Wind Centre of Excellence (FOW CoE) in collaboration with Xodus Group.
FOW CoE programme manager Ralph Torr said: “In the short-to-medium term, floating wind deployment in the UK will grow from early demonstrator projects to full scale commercial wind farms.
“It is therefore imperative that the industry is aware of the potential environmental impacts of the technology to ensure effective solutions are in place to accelerate the build out of the floating wind farms in the most sustainable manner.”
The report covers action areas across Aviation Safety, Colocation and Coexistence, Cumulative Impacts, Electromagnetic Fields, Fisheries Access, Habitats Regulations Assessment, Navigational Risk, Ornithology, Skills Gaps, and Underwater Noise.
Identifying these priority areas of focus will pave the way for the next phase of the project, where the FOW CoE will support the development and delivery of an Environmental Interactions Strategic Programme of research activities to address the knowledge gaps identified in the Environmental Interactions Roadmap.
This will be delivered with the support of a steering group comprising key stakeholders, including the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Crown Estate Scotland, the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs and The Crown Estate.
Environment Minister from the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Rebecca Pow, said: “Our marine environment is a vital asset in developing a clean, affordable and secure energy supply for the UK, and floating offshore wind provides new opportunities to unlock more waters for clean energy.
“Data and evidence are integral to achieving this while continuing to meet our commitments on ocean recovery.
“I’m delighted that DEFRA will be working closely with the FOW CoE in delivering a strategic programme of research to improve our understanding of the environmental interactions of floating offshore wind.”