The Crown Estate is partnering with a range of UK-wide expert bodies to launch three significant research projects that will help to enable the coexistence of offshore wind farms with a thriving marine environment.
Over £12m (€14.4m) is being invested in these collaborative projects as part of the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change programme, which is supporting the UK’s drive to reach net zero by facilitating the sustainable and co-ordinated growth of offshore wind.
Led by Natural England, Scottish Government and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the projects will be delivered and supported by many other public, private and charitable organisations.
They will explore a wide range of environmental issues, identify evidence-gaps and inform how we can collectively implement positive change by improving understanding amongst key decision-makers of how offshore wind deployment could affect marine habitats and wildlife in combination with other activities.
This will ensure that we maximise the opportunity of UK offshore wind power whilst protecting and enhancing marine biodiversity.
The projects include the four-year Planning Offshore Wind Strategic Environmental Impact Decisions project, led by Natural England, to improve the knowledge of environmental risks across UK waters and provide tools for future offshore wind planning.
Predators and Prey Around Renewable Energy Developments is a a four-year partnership led by Scottish Government’s Marine Scotland directorate and co-funded by Crown Estate Scotland that will help improve understanding of how seabirds, marine mammals and fish respond to offshore wind farms.
Finally, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds will harness novel tracking techniques over a five-year period to fill critical knowledge gaps in the movements and populations of seabirds, such as puffin and kittiwake.
The Offshore Wind Evidence and Change programme is being delivered in partnership with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
They will also be working closely with Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland government bodies, regulators, NGOs and a broad range of industry representatives that play a role in planning for the future of offshore wind.
So far, 25 projects have been awarded funding, with three completed and 13 underway, gathering data and evidence that will help to find space in a busy seabed, enable better understanding of how offshore wind affects the environment and habitats, and inform decision making and understanding around environmental benefits and provision of compensation.
The programme is part of The Crown Estate’s wider investment in marine spatial data and evidence to improve productivity, drive value and help develop a holistic understanding of the seabed.
The Crown Estate chief executive Dan Labbad said: “As we face the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, protecting our natural world has never been more important.
“As managers of the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, we play a vital role in helping to safeguard our precious marine environment whilst shaping, innovating, informing and enabling the development of offshore wind for the long-term benefit of the nation.
“This investment, delivered in partnership with expert stakeholders, is the latest example of our continuing drive to provide world class data and evidence to support both government and the industry in making the best decisions to unlock the pathway to net zero, in harmony with healthy, biodiverse seas.”
Minister for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change, Greg Hands, added: “This research will help protect our precious coastal and marine environments as we continue to grow the delivery of clean, renewable energy for consumers and open opportunities for green growth and high-quality jobs.”