Independent,

integrated

thinking

Independent,

integrated

thinking

Liz Foubister

IEMA Webinar

30th July 2014

Experience from the first large scale tidal turbine EIA in

Europe

How do we work towards effective and proportionate

EIA?

1. Introduction to Xodus

2. The MeyGen Tidal Energy Project

3. Summary of EIA findings

4. What’s needed for future effective EIAs

5. How do we move forward?

What am I Going to Talk About?

‘effective’ – in context of EIA for a ‘novel’ industry

Leading energy consultants providing environmental and engineering

support to marine renewables (wave and tidal), offshore wind and oil and gas

industries

Key relevant experience:

MeyGen Tidal Array EIA – Europe’s largest consented tidal project (86 MW)

Torr Head Tidal Array Project (TVL)

Hywind Scotland Pilot Park Project EIA (Hywind)

Brough Head Wave Energy Project EIA (Aquamarine)

Costa Head Wave Energy Project EIA (SSE)

Siadar Wave Energy Project EIA (Voith Hydro)

Tidal and wave demonstrator projects (various) – EMEC test facility

Strategic advice to government and other organisations

Introduction to Xodus

Context of Today’s Presentation

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

FEED completed

Turbine technology specification

Application submitted

Determination period for application

Consent award (Phase 1A - 4 x 1.5MW turbines)

Procurement

Commence onshore construction

Commence offshore installation

Operational

Saltire Prize generation period

TODAY

Todays presentation is very much about lessons learned to date

Still some way to go, but need to share lessons as early as possible

The Project

Orkney office 100% owned by

The Project

SHETL options

Up to 61 tidal turbines – generic design

Individual turbine foundations

Individual turbine cables to shore

Cables bundled = 29 bundles to shore

Offshore Project Components

2 potential cable landfalls

Horizontally Directionally Drilled landfalls (29 bores – 3 cables per bore)

Onshore Power Conversion Centre (PCC)

• 3 x Power Conversion Unit Buildings (PCUBs)

• 1 x Control Building

Underground cables to SHETL grid connection (4-5 km) – separate planning

Onshore Project Components

SUMMARY OF EIA FINDINGS

EIA Scoping

Potentially significant impacts – pre and post mitigation

Proposed environmental monitoring strategy

• Industry wide ‘strategic’ monitoring

• Project specific monitoring

EIA Scoping

SHETL options

EIA

16 Topics

Scoping Opinion

>250 issues

Impact topic Potentially significant impact

Significant impact post mitigation

Strategic monitoring

Project monitoring (Note 1)

Comments

Physical Environment and Sediment Dynamics

N/a Validation of modelling / impact assessment

Benthic Habitats and Ecology N/a

Surveys to confirm cuttings dispersion and detect any significant seabed changes

Marine Mammals Harbour seals key issue

Collision potentially significant; large array only Disturbance and displacement; collision risk (marine mammal behaviour around turbines) Inform mitigation for larger arrays

Ornithology Located within an SPA

N/a

Collision not a significant impact Disturbance and displacement; collision risk (diving bird behaviour around turbines) to confirm impact assessment

Fish Ecology

Collision not a significant impact Lack of data on salmonid migration routes

Commercial Fisheries N/a Ongoing consultation with local fishermen

Marine Cultural Heritage N/a

Reporting protocol – discovery of unknown marine cultural heritage material

Navigation

Tolerable Risk

Monitoring to establish changes in vessel behaviour e.g. re routing implications

Offshore EIA Studies Note 1 – reduced monitoring for Phase 1a

Impact topic Potentially significant impact

Significant impact post mitigation

Strategic monitoring

Project monitoring

Comments

Geology, Hydrology and Hydrogeology

Surface water visual inspections, water quality, environmental clerk of works

Terrestrial Habitats and Ecology Pre construction surveys (where required)

Landscape, Seascape and Visual N/a

N/a

Mitigation built into design

Onshore Cultural Heritage Reporting protocol

Tourism and Recreation Ongoing consultation with local stakeholders

Socio economic N/a Economic opportunities

Onshore Transport and Access Ongoing consultation with local stakeholders

Onshore Noise and Dust Noise surveys during construction and operation

Accidental Events -

Onshore / Other EIA Studies

Need to work towards proportionate and effective EIA

First step……

Standard methodologies – urgent need for these

Survey methodologies

• what do we need to know?

• aid data transfer between sites / technologies / species

Impact assessment - birds, fish & mammals

• what level of assessment appropriate?

Environmental monitoring

Understand the practical implementation of survey, deploy and monitor

Strategic versus project specific monitoring areas

Learning from monitoring undertaken to date e.g. MCT, EMEC

Project advisory monitoring group – if other projects in PFOW go ahead

likely to morph into strategic area monitoring group e.g. as for offshore wind

Future EIAs can then focus on KEY issues

What’s Needed to Assist Future EIAs?

EMEC / Prototype deployments

Ensure timely availability of research

Engage further with industry to help scope future research

Better data sharing needed for the benefit of everyone

Regulators and their advisors, The Crown Estate

Adapt advice, guidance & policies quickly in response to findings of:

• Early EIAs and HRAs

• Strategic research

• Early monitoring

Strong leadership on focus on key issues

Novel issues – adopt industry acceptable survey and assessment approaches

Well resourced – not only manpower, experienced, knowledgeable people

Ensure strategic research published as early as possible

Where appropriate be less precautionary based on early results

Developers and their consultants

Buy into results of early EIAs to minimise ‘over’ scoping of later consent applications

Early communication of lessons learned to ensure input to future design

Timely publication of monitoring results

Collaboration between developers where appropriate

How do we Expediate Evolution? Everyone has a part to play…….

THANK YOU