How can we deliver marine renewables and protect the oceans?
By Matthew Dawson, Account Manager
Decarbonising the UK’s electricity supply will require the construction of a huge amount of new power infrastructure, both on land and at sea.
However, the current delivery time of a new offshore wind farm can be up to 13 years. In an attempt to address this, new draft planning policy statements will establish offshore wind projects as Critical National Priority (CNP) infrastructure in England and Wales. This means the delivery of the project will essentially be presumed to outweigh any test of harm, but critically exceptions to this presumption include for habitats regulations assessment impacts.
With the UK already one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, it’s hugely important that environmental assessments do not become a tick box exercise but genuinely lead to proper consideration of the damage that could be done to an already degraded marine environment.
Some schemes, such as the Neart na Gaoithe windfarm, have been delayed by lengthy court battles over their impact on protected species. And while some developers have urged conservations to allow them to “get on with delivering”, the RSPB argues that “nature is not the barrier, poor and outdated planning systems are”.
There is a growing consensus that reforms to the management of space at sea are essential to increase rapid marine renewable development and protect nature through Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Defra is leading a cross-Government programme on ‘Marine Spatial Prioritisation’, assessing what should go where at sea.
We consider some of the challenges that this programme and other initiatives will need to address as they prioritise marine space.
1. Marine Protected Areas
Windfarms are already being constructed in areas of the sea designated to protect nature: our network of MPAs. According to a recent analysis, 8% of England's seas could be said to be protected for nature in effective MPAs, against targets of at least 30%. However, even within this figure, there is widespread windfarm construction, including the major Dogger Bank windfarm development.
The Environmental Audit Committee has recommended that the expansion of marine energy be “extremely sensitive to biodiversity considerations given the obvious risks of disrupting important habitats”. Some conservationists have warned that “offshore windfarms built in the wrong places can cause huge damage and harm to birds and other nature.”
However, others argue that an offshore windfarm “essentially becomes a Marine Protected Area for the duration of the development” due to the exclusion of fishing activity. The wind industry highlights that construction noise is reduced for marine life during installation by using air bubble curtains and hydro sound dampers.
Further, given the existential risk posed by climate change to marine species and habitats, another view is that rapid action to deliver renewable energy is essential even if it harms the natural environment. One columnist says: “much as I hate the idea of paving over desert tortoise habitat with solar panels … I hate the idea of 3 degrees Celsius of planetary warming a lot more.”
Crucial to the Marine Spatial Prioritisation are important decisions within planning reforms regarding the extent of development permitted in existing MPAs. Whether this be that co-locating windfarms and MPAs can deliver for nature, and what compensation can or should be provided if a development goes ahead which harms the marine environment (for example restoring a marine habitat elsewhere).
2. Demands for space for fisheries
The future size and activity of the fisheries sector is a central piece of the puzzle in prioritising marine space. Some fisheries representatives, notably the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO), have campaigned against a loss of fishing grounds due to “an array of competing spatial pressures” of which “offshore wind and marine protected areas top the list”.
Others point to the currently unsustainable activities of elements of the fisheries sector, e.g. 51 of the 79 baseline Total Allowable Catches (TACs), a catch limit set for different fish stocks, were evaluated as inconsistent with scientific advice (in 2022).
3. New technologies in wind farm construction
The Global Wind Energy Council believes that 80% of global potential offshore wind resources are in deeper (>60m) waters. These places will require floating offshore wind (FLOW) turbines as standard fixed turbines cannot reach these depths.
The Government has set an ambition to deliver up to 5GW of FLOW by 2030, with rapid expansion anticipated thereafter. Labour too are promoting a strategy “to drive this country’s floating offshore wind industry forward”.
The Crown Estate believes that technological advancements will mean that “there will be few technical limits to where offshore wind developments can be sited” so that “future windfarms can be sited away from environmentally sensitive areas”.
While this technology is still in its infancy, there may be hope in the Crown Estate’s prediction that “a greater choice of sites will help to strike the right balance”.
Crucial prioritisation decisions
While new technologies may assist in the future, at present crucial prioritisation decisions must be made to find an appropriate balance between fisheries activity, MPAs and new developments.
The challenge of delivering net-zero infrastructure at speed while protecting the natural environment is the subject of much discussion across Whitehall and Parliament. At sea, this will require effective planning which both speeds up developments and protects our most important sites for nature.
Politicians are aware that a failure to solve this may mean progress in securing critical UK infrastructure could be accompanied by further degradation of our natural environment. As part of Marine Spatial Prioritisation, it’s critical that net zero and nature restoration are treated as two sides of the same coin.
If you have any questions, or would like to get in touch, please contact mdawson@seahorseenvironmental.co.uk