New report sets out a route to transform environmental consenting in UK offshore wind

A report published today by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult lays out a new approach to environmental monitoring and consenting within the UK offshore wind sector.

With the UK Government looking to radically increasing offshore wind deployment, there is a clear need for changes to the environmental consenting process. It can currently take several years for appropriate environmental assessments of potential offshore wind farms to be carried out. This, in turn, leads to delays in consenting which present a potential barrier to the scale and pace of development needed for the UK to meet ambitious offshore wind targets and Net Zero ambitions.

Today’s report calls for the adoption of a Regional Ecosystem Monitoring Programme (REMP) which would assess the environmental impacts of offshore wind projects at a regional level, rather than the current project by project approach.

The report sets out a number of key recommendations, including:

• Shifting from project-level to regional scale assessments
• Appointing an independent body to oversee and facilitate this process
• Removing the ‘scoping phase’ from the pre-application stage of the environmental consenting process
• Adopting an ecosystem-based approach to monitoring
• Embracing innovative monitoring technology, such as robotics and artificial intelligence to enable multiscale, concurrent, analysis

Dr Caroline Whalley, Environmental Specialist for ORE Catapult, and author of the report, said: “With such ambitious targets for offshore wind deployment, it is time to evolve how we monitor and assess the environmental effects of potential offshore wind projects. We need to embrace next generation survey methodologies and thinking. By transitioning to a regional scale ecosystem-based approach to monitoring, we can take a more holistic view of ensuring the UK is making quicker and more informed decisions about future sustainable offshore wind deployment.”

Professor Beth Scott, a world leading expert on marine ecology from the University of Aberdeen, said:  “Moving to a regional ecosystem-based monitoring program (REMP) Is a game changer for industry, government, academics and stakeholders.  Climate change is barrelling down on us, driving a need for the extremely rapid acceleration of offshore renewable energy.

“The regional approach outlined by ORE Catapult provides a clear roadmap, that includes reflective, adaptive changes that will allow the better understanding of effective regional planning decisions and hence consenting decisions can be made closer to the rate of change necessary.

“The scientific community stands ready and able to enact and facilitate a regional approach.  We are excited to see offshore industries, policy makers and governments interested in pursuing this direction”.

This work was carried out by ORE Catapult as part of the Accelerating Consenting for Offshore Renewables Deployment (ACORD) project which aims to accelerate the deployment of major offshore renewable energy infrastructure projects, minimise the damage to the environment, and maximise the potential to reach Net Zero.