Suchergebnisse

The offshore wind energy sector in the UK has grown rapidly since the first turbine generators were installed in 2000: by 2016 there were over 1400 installed turbines with combined capacity of 5.1GW. The sector is considered by UK Government as essential to the development of a low carbon economy and to meeting binding targets on carbon reduction and renewable energy generation. The Crown Estate, responsible for licensing development on the sea bed around the UK, has held 3 rounds of licensing since 2000 for wind developments. Some of the projects in the first two rounds suffered long delays due to uncertainty of project level impacts, particularly cumulative impacts. A number of key stakeholders identified a need for cumulative impact assessment methodology to be developed that was definitive and endorsed by regulators and industry to aid unblocking barriers to delivery. This paper explores the background to the development of such guidelines and how they were 'co-created' with industry and regulators. We evaluate to what extent they have been used to shape and develop practice.

Executive summary. Research aims and methods: The review of Environmental Statements (ESs) sought to determine the socio-economic content of EU member state offshore wind farms (OWFs). This was part of a project funded by the European Offshore Windfarm Development Centre research programme (EOWDC). It parallels a similar study of ESs for UK OWFs. The aim of the EOWDC project is multifaceted: explore methods used to predict socio-economic impacts of OWFs, to enhance understanding of OWF socio-economic impacts (SEI), highlight best practice in how to maximize local benefits and compare predicted impacts with actual impacts. This report includes two elements. The first explores the extent of coverage of socio-economic impacts (SEI) in Environmental Statements (ESs) for recent large OWF projects across a range of European countries. The second element reviews the legislation and policy behind OWFs for EU member state countries to determine how different approaches impact on the socio-economic content of ESs and methodology employed. The review concentrated on OWFs of c50MW and over undertaken from 2010 onwards. The review included 13 projects, in five countries (Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and ES review of socio-economic impacts content—Non-UK EU countries Ireland), ranging in size from 50MW to 752MW. Researchers translated relevant chapters in the ESs were ESs into English using an online translation tool. There was an assessment of ES chapters against a 9-point template covering the research aims, including to: document the extent to which SEI are covered in the ESs, identify the relative coverage of social, economic and other impacts (e.g. cumulative), and identify the relative coverage of SEI in the various stages of the OWF lifecycle. The research also seeks to identify trends over time and to explain variations in ES consideration of impacts (e.g. more coverage for larger projects; any variations according to distance from shore). There is also a consideration of evolving approaches to ...

Executive summary. This research report seeks to provide a systematic review of current literature (both academic and grey) on socio-economic impact assessment methodology and mitigation/enhancement methods. It includes academic, industry and government literature relating to OWF published over the 10 years to 2019. The review first considers impact assessment methodology, and then its application to Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs), for both economic and social impacts. There is then a specific examination of socio-economic impacts of OWFs, with particular reference to Scotland. The executive summary here briefly sets out the nature of socio-economic impacts and their assessment, and associated challenges and opportunities in relation to OWF development, especially in Scotland. Nature of socio-economic impacts and their assessment: Socio-economic impacts can be summarised as the "people effects" of development actions. They cover a wide range of social and economic impacts and the boundaries are fuzzy between social and economic impacts. Economic impacts can range from the macro-impacts on a nation's GNP to the impact on construction workers' wage levels in a town adjacent to a project. Social impacts may include impacts on local demographics, livelihoods, housing, local services, and wellbeing and community cohesion. Socio-economic impact assessment seeks to identify the impacts of development actions on people, and who benefits and who loses; it can help to build the needs and voices of diverse groups in a community into project planning and decision-making. The consideration of the social and economic impacts of major developments has been the poor relation of impact assessment until the current century. However, it is now a much more important element in the assessment of the impacts of major projects. Evolving international guidance, standards and legislation on SIA stress the importance of maximizing opportunities for local content (i.e. jobs for local people and local procurement), and the necessity for a ...

The offshore wind farm (OWF) industry is of growing importance, particularly in Europe. However, the local socio-economic impacts of OWF projects have received little attention compared with biophysical impacts. Yet, they have the potential to be significant for the regeneration of declining coastal communities. Drawing on findings from academic and industry literature, from a review of ESs (Environmental Statements) for OWFs and from particular case studies, the paper found differential coverage of social and economic impacts, and differences between predicted and actual impacts, by stage in project life. For example, the ES predictions substantially overestimated local offshore construction stage economic impacts, but underestimated other elements of the OWF lifecycle, including onshore construction, and especially the 20-25 years of the operation and management stage. The Aberdeen (Scotland) case study showed the importance of the engagement strategy of the developer. Drawing on the major Hornsea projects, off the coast of Yorkshire (England), the research also highlighted the positive and cumulative impacts of scale and hub status, where a programme of large OWFs can have important local impacts. The research identified some factors leading to the identified outcomes, including the changing size and location of OWF projects, the relevant legislative and regulatory context behind the decision-making processes for OWF projects, and the responses and relationships of stakeholders involved in the process. The key role of monitoring impacts is an underpinning issue and a requirement for the more effective assessment of impacts.

Executive Summary. Purpose and structure of the report: The Offshore Wind sector is a major, dynamic, and rapidly evolving renewable energy industry. This is particularly so in Europe, and especially in the UK. Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs) are usually large projects in terms of spatial spread and development expenditure. Such projects normally require specific planning and assessment procedures, including an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), in advance of any development consent. For OWFs, the focus of EIA activity, and the content of resulting Environmental Statements (ESs), has been on the biophysical impacts. There has been much less ES content on the impacts on the human environment, and especially the impacts on local and regional coastal communities adjacent to the offshore projects. Such communities are often suffering greatly from the decline in traditional industries, such as shipbuilding, fishing and tourism. Human environmental impacts include a wide range of social and economic issues. However, the lack of knowledge on the impacts of OWFs on human interests can greatly hamper case management. There is a need for adequate planning and assessment tools for the key stakeholders – developers, consultancies, governments (local, regional and national), development agencies and the general public—who are the audience for this report. The focus of this document, as structured below, is to provide an array of good practice guidance for stakeholders on the under-assessed socio-economic implications and opportunities emanating from the growth in this dynamic renewable OWF energy industry. In each of sections 2-5, there are short summaries of key guidance points, highlighted in yellow, underpinned by research findings and good practice examples, drawing on the findings in the six Technical Reports for this research programme. Context: a dynamic OWF renewable energy industry: The UK is the global leader in offshore wind energy generation. At the end of 2018, the UK had 7.9GW in 38 operational OWFs, with almost ...