Non-Technical Summary (NTS)

Transcription

1 OFFSHORE WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY IN NORTHERN IRELAND STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (SEA) Non-Technical Summary (NTS) AECOM and Metoc December 2009

2 CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. Overview of the draft Offshore Renewable Energy Strategic Action Plan (SAP) 3: Approach and Method 4: Technologies 5: Zones 6: Assessment Results Summary of Results from the Zone Assessment 7: Cumulative Assessment Testing Offshore Renewable Electricity Targets and Other Plans and Programmes 8: Plan and Project Level Mitigation Measures 9: Monitoring, Summary and Next Steps

3 1: INTRODUCTION This document provides a non-technical summary of the results of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) draft Offshore Renewable Energy Strategic Action Plan (SAP). The detailed results from the assessment are presented in the Environmental Report (ER) which can be found at SEA LEGISLATION The legislative requirements identifying the need for an SEA are: The Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 which transpose the requirements of the European Directive 2001/42/EC the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment (the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive). SUBJECT OF THE SEA (SCREENING) The plan, which is the subject of this SEA, is DETI s draft Strategic Action Plan (SAP) for offshore wind and marine renewable energy development in Northern Ireland. This plan (SAP) includes targets and objectives for the development of offshore wind and marine renewable energy. It has been identified that the SAP requires an SEA on the basis that: The SAP is being prepared for energy related development. The SAP will contain proposals (targets and objectives) that will include area specific allocations (resource zone assessment) and could potentially have adverse effects on the marine and coastal environment and other users of the sea e.g. fisheries and transport (navigation). The SAP is being prepared by the Northern Ireland Government (DETI) for adoption at a national level. SCOPING In order to confirm the content of, and approach to, the SEA a Scoping Report was published in May 2009 and a Scoping Seminar was held to give a range of stakeholders an opportunity to comment on the proposed approach and scope of the SEA. A copy can be found at The key points raised during scoping are summarised in the Environmental Report, Chapter 4. FOCUS OF THE SEA The focus of this SEA is to assess the potential effects of offshore wind and marine renewable energy developments on the marine and coastal environment and to provide information to inform the development of the SAP and ensure that it is implemented in a way that maximises environmental protection and minimises effects on other sea users. OBJECTIVES OF THE SEA The main objectives of the SEA are: To review earlier studies and confirm the potential capacities in MegaWatts (MW) for offshore wind and marine renewable. To assess and quantify, at a strategic level, the potential effects on the NI coastal and marine environment of developing the offshore wind and marine renewable energy capacity identified in the earlier studies. To assess and quantify the potential of offshore wind and marine renewable energy to contribute to the proposed UK EU renewable energy targets for % of all energy from renewable sources and 20% Greenhouse Gas Savings and the recently announced proposed renewable energy target for NI of 40% of all electricity from renewable source by To advise DETI in the development and implementation of a SAP for offshore wind and marine renewable energy projects. To inform the project level decision-making process for all stakeholders (including regulators and developers). To facilitate focused investment in offshore wind and marine renewable energy developments in Northern Ireland. 1

4 1: INTRODUCTION STUDY AREA The area covered by this SEA includes the full seaward extent of Northern Ireland territorial waters from the mean high water mark to the 12 nautical mile (nm) limit. The study area extends from Lough Foyle in the North to Carlingford Lough in the South. The study area is illustrated in Figure A below. Figure 1: Study Area TOPICS COVERED IN THE SEA The main topics covered in the SEA are listed below. This list is derived from the SEA Directive and refined to make it relevant to the coastal and marine environment. The effects of offshore wind and marine renewable energy developments on these SEA topics are summarised in Section 6: Assessment Results. The topics covered in the SEA include: Water and soil (substrate including sediment, geology, geomorphology and coastal processes, water quality). Biodiversity, flora and fauna (protected sites and species including sea birds, fish, marine mammals and reptiles, benthic ecology). Cultural heritage including archaeological heritage (marine and coastal archaeological and historical natural/built environment including wrecks and submerged landscapes). Population and human health (commercial fishing, aquaculture, shipping and navigation including navigational safety, ports and harbours, recreation and tourism, radar interference, military practice areas, disposal areas). Material assets (cables and pipelines, coastal infrastructure, telecommunications cables, oil and gas, electricity cables, renewable energy developments). Landscape (landscape and seascape quality and character). Climatic factors (CO 2 emissions, carbon storage and responding to climate change e.g. threat of sea level rise on coastal infrastructure. The SEA does not cover socio-economic impacts. The SEA does assess the potential effects on different marine sectors and users of the sea in terms of the potential for disruption to activities and physical displacement from certain areas within Northern Ireland waters. However, it does not use economic or monetary values to quantify the potential effects of the disruption or displacement of marine activities. Air Quality was scoped out of the SEA as it was determined at the scoping stage that atmospheric emissions from offshore wind and marine renewable energy developments are likely to be minimal and therefore unlikely to have a significant effect on air quality. However, effects on climate are included in the SEA. 2

5 1: INTRODUCTION SEA STEERING GROUP The SEA has been guided by a Steering Group, with representatives drawn from a broad range of stakeholders. These are listed below: DETI Geological Survey for Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development The Agri-Food and Bio-sciences Institute The Department of the Environment The Northern Ireland Environment Agency The Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure The Department for Regional Development The Crown Estate The Maritime and Coastguard Agency STUDY LIMITATIONS The scope of this SEA was defined by the DETI terms of reference, the tender submission, the requirements of the SEA Directive and good practice. Specific items of general concern or interest to a wider group of stakeholders may not be within the remit of this SEA. Some of these specific items are given in Table 1. Table 1: Zones Inside of Study Scope Potential environmental effects will be identified and assessed at a strategic level. The SEA will provide baseline information pertinent to the strategic issues associated with the potential development of offshore wind and marine renewables. The SEA will inform the development and implementation of the SAP The SEA will help identify areas where there may be opportunities for, or environmental constraints against, development. Outside of Study Scope Effects will not be assessed at a project specific level. The SEA will not replace the need for developers to collect detailed project specific baseline data. The SEA will not specifically address issues of grid development policy, socio-economic development, or policy relating to consent procedures but will cross refer to other work where relevant. The SEA will not examine the commercial viability of development or provide cost benefit analysis. 3

6 2: OVERVIEW OF THE STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN (SAP) BACKGROUND Northern Ireland recently announced a proposed target of 40% renewable electricity by This target was set out in the draft Strategic Energy Framework (2009) which identified a number of key drivers behind the target. These include: Need to reduce Northern Ireland s dependence on fossil fuels and risks associated with security of supply and the volatile nature and high costs of imported fuels. Need to reduce CO 2 emissions associated with the production of electricity from fossil fuels in line with UK, European and International targets. Need to exploit a potentially significant resource of indigenous renewable fuel sources to increase overall sustainability of energy consumption within Northern I l d In meeting the 2020 target, DETI recognises that there will need to be a mix of renewable energy sources including offshore wind, wave and tidal, as well as land based renewables. However, as an industry, offshore wind and, in particular, marine renewable energy (wave and tidal stream) is not as well established as onshore wind. It has therefore been identified that there needs to be a clear strategy or framework in place to give direction on how offshore renewable energy will be integrated into a wider energy mix and what could be its likely contribution. OFFSHORE WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY Proposals for the SAP reflect the recent growth and development of the offshore wind and marine renewable energy industries as demonstrated through: The Crown Estate s Offshore wind Rounds 1, 2 and 3 (Round 3 aims to secure sites for an additional 25GW of electricity to be generated from offshore wind) in GB waters. Deployment of MCT s demonstration SeaGen device in Strangford Lough which is successfully generating electricity. The Crown Estate s current leasing round for wave and tidal stream development in the Pentland Firth. POTENTIAL RESOURCE IN NORTHERN IRELAND Prior to commencement of the SEA, there had been a number of independent studies carried out which examined the potential offshore wind and wave and tidal resource within Northern Ireland territorial waters. These studies identified that there is significant potential offshore wind resources located to the north and off the east coast of Northern Ireland. The studies also identified significant tidal energy resource located within Strangford Narrows, around the Copeland Islands and Rathlin Island and off the north east coast between Fair Head and Runaby Head. The main wave resource is concentrated off the north coast. Further detail on these studies is presented in the Environmental Report in Chapters 3 and 8. These studies, and any additional supplementary studies and modelling identified as part of the SEA, were reviewed to identify the main areas of resource within the Northern Ireland territorial waters. The information obtained forms the basis of the resource zones used in the assessment of potential effects and assessment of cumulative effects which are summarised in Sections 6 and 7 of this NTS and in Chapters 11 and 12 of the Environmental Report. INTEGRATION OF THE SEA AND SAP The main focus of the SAP is to identify the potential to which offshore wind and marine renewable energy developments will contribute towards the proposed target for Northern Ireland of 40% electricity from renewable energy sources by The assessment method used in the SEA (discussed in Section 5 and Chapter 6 of the Environmental Report) was developed specifically to assist DETI with the development of targets for offshore wind and marine renewable energy by assessing the potential cumulative effects that would result from different levels of development within, and spatial distributions across, the main areas of resource. The conclusions from this part of the assessment are summarised in Section 7 and presented in Chapter 12 of the Environmental Report. The SEA also focuses on identifying key actions (mitigation measures) to be implemented through the SAP to minimise or avoid any significant adverse effects from future development. 4

7 2: OVERVIEW OF THE STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN (SAP) OBJECTIVES OF THE SAP The overall objective of the draft SAP is to optimise the amount of renewable electricity generated from offshore wind and marine renewable resources in Northern Ireland s waters in order to enhance diversity and security of supply and reduce carbon emissions and develop business and employment opportunities for Northern Ireland businesses. OFFSHORE WIND AND MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGETS The draft SAP includes, for public consultation, targets that reflect the extent to which offshore wind and marine renewable energy could contribute towards achieving the proposed target for Northern Ireland of meeting 40% of Northern Ireland s electricity consumption from renewable sources by These proposed targets have been informed by the results from this SEA. See Chapters 3, 12 and 13 of the Environmental Report and Sections 6 and 7 of this NTS. ASSOCIATED ACTIONS The SAP also includes a series of associated actions that have been identified as being essential to facilitating the future development and growth of this industry in Northern Ireland and will therefore need to be taken forward to support the overall objective for offshore wind and marine renewable energy development. Some of these actions may be the subject of their own plan or programme and consequently may be subject to their own SEA (e.g. the plan/programme for the strengthening of the Northern Ireland Grid Network is subject to a separate SEA) and as such these actions will not be assessed as part of this SEA. The related actions include: The development in conjunction with The Crown Estate of a competitive call for commercial offshore renewable energy projects , on completion of the SEA. Develop an appropriate reinforcement programme of the NI Grid, to be completed in time to handle efficiently the increasing renewable electricity generated offshore. Complete work by 2010 with Scotland and the Republic of Ireland on the joint Isles project to assess the potential for an offshore regional marine electricity grid linking Ireland and Scotland and consider its findings and recommendations. Continue to work with Invest NI, The Crown Estate and others in promoting the opportunities for local manufacturing and service sectors to secures offshore energy supply chain business in relation to projects considering investment in NI waters and also in the wider international and international markets. Develop a practical way forward with the Republic of Ireland for handling offshore renewable energy projects in waters in, around or adjacent to state boundaries near Loughs Foyle and Carlingford and agree appropriate operational arrangements. Continue to ensure that DETI s offshore energy interests are effectively represented within the development of policy and legislation for the forthcoming NI Marine Bill and other marine related work e.g. the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. With The Crown Estate and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, develop streamlined administrative guidance for developers and officials on the licensing and consenting regimes for offshore renewable energy projects. Work with DECC to put in place the necessary offshore energy production and decommissioning regime, similar to that in force in GB waters, for offshore energy projects in Northern Ireland waters. Continue to develop the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation to encourage the generation of electricity from offshore renewables and to agree with DECC the transfer of the vires from DECC to DETI to issue offshore Renewable Obligation Certificates. Ensure that Northern Ireland benefits from the range of UK wide regimes supporting research, development and deployment of offshore renewable energy projects. 5

8 3: APPROACH AND METHOD APPROACH TO THE ASSESSMENT The approach applied to the assessment of the effects of offshore wind and marine renewable energy developments (wave and tidal) on the marine and coastal environment of Northern Ireland comprises three parts: Part 1: Generic environmental effects (Chapter 10 of the Environmental Report) Part 2: Detailed assessment of specific resource zones (Chapter 11 of the Environmental Report) Part 3: Cumulative assessment (Chapters 12 and 13 of the Environmental Report) The assessment of generic effects (Part 1) covers the entire study area (all Northern Ireland territorial waters from the mean high water mark seaward out to 12nm). The resource zone assessment (Part 2) focuses on the key areas of resource (offshore wind, wave and tidal) that have been identified within the study area as those most likely to be taken forward for development within the projected timescales of the SAP (up to 2020). Part 3 of the assessment (assessment of cumulative effects) uses information from parts 1 and 2 to assess the effects that different amounts of development (e.g. number of offshore wind farm developments based on average sizes of current wind farms) and distributions of development across the different resource zones would have on the environment. The results from Part 3 were then used to assist DETI in developing targets for inclusion in the SAP which reflect the extent to which offshore wind and marine renewable energy could contribute towards achieving the proposed renewable electricity target for Northern Ireland of 40% by The SEA does not preclude development in areas outside the main resource zones as all potential areas for development within Northern Ireland waters have been covered in the Generic Assessment (Part 1). However, as with all future developments (within or outside the resource zones) individual projects will still have to be considered on a case by case basis and project level consenting requirements will still apply. Figure B: Approach to the Assessment of Effects Part 1: Generic Assessment Part 2: Zone Assessment Part 3: Cumulative Assessment Generic assessment of offshore wind and marine renewable energy developments against SEA topics (Based on current knowledge and information from previous studies) Identify resource zones that have been identified as being of interest for development (based on review of resource data and consultation with developers) Identify key sensitive receptors located within the resource zones based on baseline data review Undertake more focused assessment (but still strategic level) of potential effects of developing offshore wind and marine renewable energy in the resource zones Identify future development scenarios (based on known levels of interest from developers and predicted future levels of interest) Assess effects of different levels of development (development scenarios) within each resource zone Assess cumulative effects of development across all resource zones, all SEA topics, transboundary effects, relevant plans and programmes and other marine developments, and environmental issues 6

9 3: APPROACH AND METHOD ASSESSMENT METHOD The method used to assess potential and likely (residual) effects on most of the SEA topics in Parts 2 and 3 of the assessment is summarised in Figure C below. The method applied to the seascape assessment differs slightly from the method described below. This is necessary to reflect the more subjective nature of the seascape assessment. Details of the seascape assessment methodology are presented in Chapter 6 of the Environmental Report. Figure C: Approach to the Assessment of Effects Identification of how offshore wind and marine renewable energy devices/developments interact with the marine environment (based on generic effects identified in Part 1) Identification of key receptors (in relation to the SEA topics) located within the resource zones that could potentially be affected by offshore wind and marine renewable energy devices/developments Assessment of potential effects of offshore wind, wave and tidal developments WITHOUT mitigation Identification of mitigation measures that could be implemented to reduce, avoid or offset the overall significance of the effect Assessment of residual effects of offshore wind, wave and tidal devices WITH mitigation (based on the assumption that mitigation would be implemented appropriately) PRESENTATION OF RESULTS Part 1: Generic Assessment Part 1 the assessment includes a description of the potential effects with summary tables (see Chapter 10 of the Environmental Report). Part 2: Zone Assessment The results of the resource zone assessment are presented in a series of matrices which include the following information. SEA topics where potential strategic environmental effects could occur Type of the potential effect Phase of the development during which potential effects are likely to occur e.g. installation, operation, maintenance and decommissioning Device characteristics that are likely to give rise to potential effects Device type (wind, wave or tidal) Assessment of potential effect (effect without mitigation) Summary of key environmental sensitivities (from baseline data) and description of potential effect Description of possible project level mitigation that could be implemented to reduce, avoid or offset potential adverse effects Assessment of potential residual effect (effect with mitigation) A summary of the key results from this assessment are presented in Section 6 below. Confidence levels have been assigned to the results from the resource zone assessment to reflect the level of certainty by which conclusions can be drawn from the results. Confidence levels are of particular importance in terms of this SEA as they are necessary to reflect where known data and knowledge gaps influence various results of the assessment. The levels of confidence assigned range from low, medium and high depending on the type, amount, coverage and accuracy of available data sets. 7

10 3: APPROACH AND METHOD Part 3: Cumulative Assessment The cumulative assessment was split into 2 sections: Cumulative Effects: Testing Renewable Electricity Targets (Chapter 12 of the Environmental Report). Cumulative Effects: Other Plans and Programmes (Chapter 13 of the Environmental Report). The following system of colour coding was used in the presentation of the results from the cumulative assessment (both for the varying levels of development within resource zones and the assessment of other plans and programmes). Assessment Significant Adverse Negative Colour Coding Significant Adverse Negative Testing Offshore Renewable Electricity Targets: Identification of development scenarios for offshore wind, wave and tidal energy. Assessment of cumulative effects associated with varying levels of development within each of the individual resource zones. Assessment of cumulative effects associated with varying levels of development within a number of the different resource zones throughout all NI waters (whole NI study area). Negligible Neutral No Effect Positive Unknown Negligible Neutral No Effect Positive Unknown Other Plans, Programmes and Developments: Assessment of effects associated with implementation of the SAP in combination with other marine development implemented through other marine plans and programmes. This part of the assessment considered: NI waters specific marine developments and plans and programmes e.g. the proposed NI Marine Bill and other marine related work. Wider transboundary effects associated with other UK, Scottish, Wales, Isle of Man or Republic of Ireland strategies for marine developments and marine renewable (offshore wind, wave and tidal) for example DECC Offshore Energy Plan and The Crown Estate Round 3 Offshore Wind and Scottish Government Marine Renewable Strategy and the ROI Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan ). Assessment of effects associated with implementation of the SAP in relation to known environmental issues and problems. 8

11 4: TECHNOLOGIES DEVICE TYPES The SEA focuses on the following types of device: Offshore Wind Wave Tidal Wave and Tidal The technologies for extracting energy from waves (wave height or energy from the motion of waves) and tidal streams are still being developed and tested. Consequently there are a wide range of different types of wave and tidal devices that needed to be taken into account in the SEA. Some of the different devices are illustrated below: Offshore Wind Offshore wind devices are generally the most advanced and standardised types of devices. The most common type of commercial scale offshore wind farm that is deployed today is the Horizontal Axis wind turbine: Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Each turbine has a capacity of between 3MW and 5MW. They have a height from base to tip of around 80m to 120m and a tower height of about 60m to 80m. The blades are typically 40m long. Most offshore wind developments to date have been built in shallower water (e.g. less than 30m depth) with either piled or gravity base foundations. However, new devices are currently being tested that would enable deployment in deeper water. These include turbines that use quadropod jacket bases in waters of around 45m depth and floating devices which use moored platforms and are currently being tested at full scale. These could enable windfarms to be developed in much deeper waters e.g. more than 100m depth. North Hoyle offshore wind farm, Irish Sea (Sources, clockwise from top left: AquaMarine Power (Oyster), AW Energy, Ecofys, Marine Current Turbines Ltd, Open Hydro, Blue Energy, Ocean Power Technology, Lunar Energy) 9

12 5: RESOURCE ZONES RESOURCE ZONES A number of studies (see Chapter 8 of the Environmental Report) have identified a key areas of potential offshore wind, tidal and wave (although limited to the North Coast) resource within Northern Ireland s waters. The findings from these studies and information obtained from responses to the developer questionnaires and meetings with developers has been used in this SEA to identify areas or zones of potential interest for development of offshore wind, wave and tidal energy developments. Generally, the main areas of offshore wind resource are located in areas where prevailing winds are not diminished by surrounding land masses. Wave energy resources tend to be located in open seas where there is a large fetch (distance of open water over which wave area formed) and the largest waves are produced from the prevailing westerly winds. The main, although limited, area of wave resource is located off the North Coast which is not sheltered by land. Tidal energy resource is clustered around hotspots where tidal flows are strongest. These areas are typically associated with island channels and headlands. Development Parameters The resource zones are also influenced by the operational parameters of different device types and development parameters (e.g. array sizes and configurations). These development parameters were identified from information obtained from developers on specific device types (Chapter 8) and current industry practice. Table 2: Development/Operational Parameters Development/Operational Parameters Wind Tidal Wave Average Water Depth 15m to 100m 30 to 70m Up to 100m Approximate MW/km Average Turbine/Device 0.5 MW to 5 5 MW 1 MW Generating Capacity MW Average Scale of MW 300 MW 50 MW 30 MW Commercial Development Km 2 30km 2 1km 2 3km 2 Identification of Zones In total eight resource zones were identified as part of the SEA. In general there is very little overlap between the different resource zone except off the North Coast where there are areas of potential offshore wind, wave and tidal energy. Where possible the resources zones have been extended to include areas of resource that are currently at the periphery of the main parameters within which current devices are able to operate/exploit energy. This is to take into account possible future technological developments and device evolution in the period up to However, it is recognised that there are still likely to be some areas outside the main resource zones that could be exploited in the future. These areas are covered by the Generic Assessment (Chapter 10 of the Environmental Report). Table 3: Zones Technology Zone Location Wind Wind Zone 1 North Coast Wave Wave Zone 1 North Coast Tidal Tidal Zone 1 North Coast Tidal Tidal Zone 2 Rathlin Island and Torr Head Tidal Tidal Zone 3 Maiden Islands Tidal Tidal Zone 4 Copeland Islands Tidal Tidal Zone 5 Strangford Narrows Wind Wind Zone 2 East Coast The resource zones listed above are illustrated in Figure D Below. 10

13 5: RESOURCE ZONES Figure C: Zones 11

14 6: ASSESSMENT RESULTS SUMMARY OF RESULTS FROM THE RESOURCE ZONE ASSESSMENT RESOURCE ZONE ASSESSMENT The following section provides a summary of the following: Key sensitivities located within each of the resource zones listed above and illustrated in Figure D. Summary of the potential and likely effects (residual effects taking into account mitigation) that could occur within each of the resource zones. Sensitive Receptors The following summary of sensitive receptors is based on information obtained from the baseline review (presented in Chapter 9 of the Environmental Report) and an understanding of receptors that are likely to be effected by offshore wind, wave and tidal developments obtained from the assessment of generic effects (Chapter 10 of the Environmental Report). Table 4: Sensitive Receptors Zone Wind Zone 1: North Coast Wave Zone 1: North Coast Tidal Zone 1: North Coast Key Sensitive Receptors Two active harbour dredging disposal sites. PAIH for rocky reef and sandy sediment in < 20m water (near tidal resource). Ramore Head and Skerries ASSI (important for birds). Portrush NNR and ASSI. Bann Estuary SAC and ASSI nearby. Magilligan SAC nearby. Marine mammals, seabirds and fish found throughout area. Maerl beds, tidal rapids and reefs present in area. Sprat and herring spawning area and important for migratory salmon. Key commercial grounds for scallop fishing and fin fish trawling. Other commercial fisheries include lobster, crab, seed mussel at mouth of Lough Foyle, cod, plaice, lemon sole, ray and skate. Area adjacent to Giant s Causeway World Heritage Site (WHS) and Causeway Coast AONB. Area of considerable archaeological interest Within a Potential to interfere NERL area but not within 30km consultation zone for airports Low to moderate shipping (low in wave and tidal zone) Hibernia Atlantic telecommunications cable runs through northern part of zone. Also Project Kelvin Hibernia cable to be installed Zone Tidal Zone 2: Rathlin Island and Torr Head Tidal Zone 3: Maiden Islands Key Sensitive Receptors One active disposal site within the zone and three adjacent to the zone Risk of munitions migration from Beaufort s Dyke (North Channel) PAIH for rocky reef and sandy sediment in < 20m water (near tidal) Shamrock Pinnacle and Red Bay are possible marine SAC sites Rathlin Island SAC, SPA (important for seabirds) and ASSI Antrim Hills SPA (nearby) also important for seabirds Area supports approximately 66,000 birds plus Annex I species and migratory birds Kebble NNR Antrim Coast and Glens AONB Giants Causeway WHS adjacent to the zone Maerl beds, tidal rapids and reefs present in area Harbour porpoise, minke whales, bottlenose dolphin use area Grey and common seals use the area Sprat and herring spawning area and possible migratory salmon Important for king scallop, lobster and crab but area not used for scallop dredging or fin fish trawling Area of considerable archaeological interest Variable shipping densities low north of zone, high to east (zone adjacent to North Channel international shipping channel and TSS area) and between Rathlin Island and mainland Zone adjacent to Rathlin Island Port Important for recreational sailing and wildlife tours Rathlin Island interconnector runs through centre of the zone No existing or proposed aggregate extraction areas in the zone Two active dredging spoil sites inshore of the zone PAIH for rocky reef Potential marine SAC site Antrim Coast and Glens ASSI (adjacent) Antrim Hills SPA important for migratory birds and Annex I species Adjacent coastline is an Important Bird Area (IBA) Larne Lough SAC, Ramsar and ASSI (in vicinity) Maerl beds, tidal rapids and reefs present in area Sprat and herring spawning area Harbour porpoise present in zone and common and grey seals may also be present Commercial lobster and crab potting around Maiden Islands Scallop dredging and pot fishing along adjacent Antrim Coast Shipping densities are low to moderate but zone is adjacent to North Channel shipping channel (high intensity) Larne ferry port immediately south of the zone (on main ferry route to England, Wales and ROI) There are no cables, pipelines or aggregate extraction areas in the zone 12

15 6: ASSESSMENT RESULTS SUMMARY OF RESULTS FROM THE RESOURCE ZONE ASSESSMENT Zone Tidal Zone 4: Copeland Islands Tidal Zone 5: Strangford Narrows Key Sensitive Receptors One active dredging spoil within the zone. Risk of contamination from munitions migration from Beaufort s Dyke (North Channel). PAIH for rocky reef and sandy sediment in < 20m water. Area is under consideration as potential Marine SAC or Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ). Copeland Island AONB supports important seabird colonies. Zone near to Outer Ards SPA, Ramsar and ASSI (important for seabirds) and Outer Ards Peninsula IBA. It is also near to the Belfast Lough SPA. Area supports nephrops, scallops and queen scallops, lobster and crab Sprat spawning areas overlap the zone. Belfast Lough may be used by migratory salmon and trout. Grey seals breed on Copeland Islands. Considerable archaeological and heritage interest in area. Key commercial fisheries include lobster and crab pot fishing and some scallop (king) dredging. Also whelk potting and seed and bottom grown mussel in Belfast Lough. Zone located within the North Channel which is a recognised international shipping lane. There are no cables, pipelines or aggregate extraction areas in the zone. Very narrow channel. No active dredging spoil within the zone. Risk of contamination from munitions migration from Beaufort s Dyke (North Channel). PAIH for rocky reef and sandy sediment in < 20m water. Area is very important for nature conservation - designated NNR, MRN, Ramsar site, SPA, SAC and AONB and IBA. It is very important for seabirds supporting more than 60,000 waterfowl, Annex I species and migratory species. Harbour and grey seals (SAC) and harbour porpoise also use the area Horse mussel beds and tidal rapids. Area supports lobster, nephrops, crab, cockles and whelks and queen scallops and scallops at entrance to Strangford Lough. Sprat spawning areas also present. Considerable archaeological and heritage interest in area. Main commercial fisheries are lobster and crab potting and pacific oyster in the Lough with scallop dredging immediately outside the Lough. Not used for shipping and navigation. Lough does have a ferry crossing. As only MNR in Northern Ireland very important for wildlife tours and bird watching. Also important for recreational sailing. There are no cables, pipelines or aggregate extraction areas in the zone. Zone Wind Zone 2: East Coast Key Sensitive Receptors There are four active dredging spoil within the zone. Risk of contamination from munitions migration from Beaufort s Dyke (North Channel). Zone includes the Outer Ards ASSI, SPA and Ramsar site which is important for seabirds. Zone also near Strangford Lough SPA which is very important for seabirds. Murlough SAC is located along adjacent coastline. PAIH for rocky reef and sandy sediment in < 20m water. Range of fin and shellfish including lobster, crab, nephrops, and scallops. Nearby Strangford Lough supports cockles and whelks. Commercial fisheries include Nephrops, king scallop, lobster, crab, herring, cod, haddock and whiting. There are several important seed mussel areas adjacent to Ards Peninsula. Majority of the zone has high shipping densities although there are some areas where shipping movements are low. Zone is on the route from Belfast Port to Warrenpoint. Also contains three major fishing ports (Killkeel, Ardglass and Portavogie). Important for wildlife tours and recreational sailing. Within a Potential to interfere NERL area. A small section to the south fo the zone is within the 30km consultation zone for Belfast City Airport There are cables in the area. There are no existing aggregate extraction within the zone although two have been provisionally accepted by The Crown Estate (10km off Killkeel). 13

16 6: ASSESSMENT RESULTS SUMMARY OF RESULTS FROM THE RESOURCE ZONE ASSESSMENT Summary of Key Findings from Assessment of Zones The following provides a summary of the key findings from the assessment of the Zones illustrated in Figure C above. Water, Soil and Sediment Geology, geomorphology and sediment processes scouring: There is potential that the presence of structures on the seabed, in particular piled foundations could lead to localised scouring of the seabed, in particular where the sediment comprises sand and gravel. Potential significant adverse effects could be reduced by through careful site selection informed by hydrodynamic modelling at the project stage. Likely residual effects will be negative to negligible. Geology, geomorphology and sediment processes changes in coastal processes: Significant adverse effects on coastal process resulting from the extraction of energy from the existing wave and tidal regime could be reduced or avoided through careful site selection and modelling. Likely residual effects will be negative to negligible. Accidental contamination from devices and vessels as a result of storm damage or failure or collision there is a risk that this could occur in all zones for all types of development (offshore wind, wave and tidal). Should this occur it would have significant adverse effects on water quality, birds, marine mammals, marine reptiles, benthic ecology and fish and shellfish. However, the likelihood of this occurring is low and the risks of contamination from devices can be reduce through appropriate designs and integration of mechanisms to protect against contamination should a device get damaged or failure occur. The likely residual effects are negligible. Biodiversity, Flora and Fauna Benthic ecology substratum loss: All three technologies could potentially have significant adverse effects on benthic habitats and species due to substratum loss resulting from the attachment of devices to the seabed. These effects are likely to be greatest for piled devices and gravity bases. With increased information on species and habitat distributions and appropriate siting of devices to avoid sensitive habitats and species the likely residual effects would be negative/negligible. Benthic ecology, marine mammals, seabirds and fish - habitat exclusion: All three technologies could lead to habitat exclusion through occupying areas of the seabed, surface and water column. The overall effect of this is unknown but is likely to be more significant in areas used for breeding (marine mammals), feeding (marine mammals, fish and seabirds) and spawning (fish). Likely residual effects are unknown. Marine mammals, marine reptiles, seabirds and fish - collision risk from operational wave and tidal devices: the potential effects of collision with operational devices on marine mammals, marine reptiles, fish and seabirds (diving and pursuit) are unknown. However, it is likely that these effects will be more significant for tidal devices than wave devices which generally have lower rates of motion and fewer moving parts. With increased information on species distributions and their interactions with tidal devices and appropriate siting of devices the likely residual effects are unknown/negative. Seabirds - collision risk from operational offshore wind farms: Operational offshore wind farms could potentially have a significant adverse effect on birds in flight, in particular on key migratory routes. This is discussed below in relation to specific wind resource zones. The potential effects of marine mammals, marine reptiles, fish and seabirds colliding with offshore wind turbine foundation structures is likely to be negligible and the level of harm would be low given there are no moving parts. Likely residual effects for birds are negative and other species are negligible. 14

17 6: ASSESSMENT RESULTS SUMMARY OF RESULTS FROM THE RESOURCE ZONE ASSESSMENT Biodiversity, Flora and Fauna Marine mammals, marine reptiles, fish and seabirds - noise from the installation of piled devices: In terms of the installation of devices the most significant source of noise is from the piling of offshore wind and tidal turbine foundations. Noise from piling activities can have significant adverse effects on marine mammals, marine reptiles, fish and possibility seabirds (diving and pursuit feeders). Although potential effects can be reduced by avoiding breeding and spawning seasons and well as Marine Mammal Observers, exclusion zones, passive noise monitoring, pingers or bubble curtains the likely residual effects are still likely to be negative to significant adverse. Marine mammals, marine reptiles and fish - noise from the operation of tidal devices: In terms of the three technologies, tidal devices currently have the greatest potential to generate underwater noise from the frequent and regular movement of submerged turbines (wave moving parts tend to be at or above the surface, wind moving parts are all above surface). Noise from operational tidal devices could affect fish, marine mammals and seabirds (diving and pursuit). However, the level of likely residual effect is unknown. Marine mammals, marine reptiles and fish - barriers to movement: There is still uncertainty over the potential effects of commercial arrays (all device types) on marine mammals, marine reptiles and fish (particularly migratory species e.g. salmon) in terms of creating barriers to movement. Barriers to movement are more likely to occur in constrained areas e.g. Lough mouths, inter-island channels and around headlands. These tend to coincide with areas of tidal resource. The potential causes of barriers to movement include noise from arrays/devices, a perceived risk of harm and presence of physical barriers, which are more likely be caused by tidal developments although large wave arrays may create physical barriers. Therefore, although the precise effects in terms of barriers to movement are unknown, the likely residual effect from tidal arrays could be significant adverse. Biodiversity, Flora and Fauna EMF impacts whilst there is no evidence that operating power cables have caused a change to behaviour and migration for marine fish and mammal species, there is evidence that some species of fish can detect electric fields, and circumstantial evidence that cetaceans can detect magnetic fields. Given that most of the existing anecdotal evidence demonstrating lack of an avoidance reaction is based on operating interconnectors, and the effect of interturbine cable arrays could cause a more concentrated effect, the scientific community believes that more research is needed to quantify this potential effect. Likely residual effects are therefore unknown. 15

18 6: ASSESSMENT RESULTS SUMMARY OF RESULTS FROM THE RESOURCE ZONE ASSESSMENT Cultural Heritage including Archaeological Heritage Marine and coastal archaeology and wrecks there is potential that device installation and cabling activities could have a significant adverse effect on archaeological sites and features (marine and coastal). However with site investigations and appropriate siting of devices and routing of cables, the likely residual effects could be negligible. Population and Human Health Commercial fisheries- direct disturbance of commercial fishing grounds: The physical presence of devices or noise generated by piling activities and the operation of devices could potentially have a significant adverse effect on fishing grounds. However, through appropriate siting of devices the likely residual effects could be negative to negligible. Commercial fisheries - long term displacement from fishing grounds: The presence of an array in certain locations could lead to the displacement of fishermen from key fishing grounds. Although, through the appropriate siting of arrays potential adverse effects could be reduced the significance of the effect depends on the importance of the fishing ground and whether displacement would lead to increased pressure on stocks in other areas. Therefore likely residual effects could potentially range from significant adverse to negligible Commercial fisheries - recovery of fish stocks: The exclusion of commercial fishing activities from certain areas could have positive residual effects on fish stocks. Mariculture shellfish and fin fish farming areas generally only overlap with a few of the resource zones identified, and in most cases the potential for significant adverse effects relates to the installation of onshore connection cables (substratum loss or disturbance and smothering ) rather than actual offshore wind, wave or tidal developments. Through the avoidance of shellfish and fin fish farming areas cabling activities likely residual effects on mariculture could be negligible. Population and Human Health Shipping and navigation - reduced navigational safety and collision risk: The presence of arrays in navigational and shipping channel can affect navigational safety and increase the risk of collision either directly or by displacing vessels into areas where there is a higher intensity of vessel movements. The significance of these effects depends on the type of development and the intensity of vessel movements in certain locations. In terms of the device types the level of displacement is likely to be greater for wind and wave developments as these tend to occupy larger areas than tidal developments which have much higher energy densities and therefore occupy smaller areas. Wind and wave devices also occupy entire water column (wind) or sea surface (wave) where as tidal devices could potentially be fully submerged at depths which would allow shipping and tidal developments to coexist. Likely residual effects in areas of high vessel movements could be significant adverse and negative in areas of low to moderate vessel intensity. Recreation and tourism: There are a number of marine and coastal recreational activities that occur across the study area, and could therefore be affected or disrupted by commercial offshore renewable energy developments either directly (disruption to or exclusion from recreational sailing areas) or in directly through effects on visual amenity and seascape quality. However, the likely residual significance of these effects depends on the sensitivity and importance of tourist and recreational activities that occur within that area. Radar interference: Potential effects from radar interference are only likely to be generated by offshore wind farm developments as wave and tidal devices generally do not protrude more than a few meters above the water surface. Within identified as Potential to Interfere NERL areas likely residual effects from offshore wind farms are likely to be negative. Military practice areas Although these overlap with all of the resource zones information on the nature and frequency of the activities that occur in these practice areas was not available for this SEA. Therefore the potential effects could range from significant adverse to negligible. 16

19 6: ASSESSMENT RESULTS SUMMARY OF RESULTS FROM THE RESOURCE ZONE ASSESSMENT Material Assets Cables and pipelines A number of cables and pipelines pass through the different resource zones. Although direct damage to a cable or pipeline would have significant adverse effects as telecommunications or gas and electricity supplies could be severely disrupted, there are recognised guidelines (ICPC), protocols (e.g. crossing agreements) and buffer zones (usually 500m) that would have to be adhered to by developers. Application of these guidelines, protocols and buffer zones would avoid or significantly reduce the risk of adverse effects occurring. Likely residual effects will be negligible to no effect. Aggregate extraction areas as with cables and pipelines any significant adverse effects on these areas would be avoided or significantly reduce through exclusion zones and good practice. Likely residual effects will be negligible to no effect. Landscape/seascape Seascape offshore wind farms are likely to have more significant effects on seascape and visual amenity that wave and tidal devices as a larger proportion of the development is visible above the water surface. Large sections of the Northern Ireland coastline are designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) for their high, and often dramatic, scenic value. The north Antrim Coast is considered to be very high seascape value, particularly around the Causeway Coast and Giant s Causeway World Heritage Site. Likely residual effects on seascape could vary from significant to negligible. Climatic Factors Climate The development of offshore renewable energy will have a positive effect on the wider marine environment in terms of combating potential adverse effects that are attributed to climate change. Carbon and gas storage Offshore renewable energy developments could sterilise potential future carbon and gas storage sites. However,given that there are currently no sites identified in the study area, the potential residual effects are unknown. 17

20 7: CUMULATIVE ASSESSMENT TESTING OFFSHORE RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY TARGETS CUMULATIVE ASSESSMENT: DEVELOPMENT SCENARIOS The main focus for the SEA is to assist DETI in developing targets for inclusion in the SAP that reflect the extent to which offshore wind and marine renewable energy developments could contribute towards achieving the proposed Northern Ireland target of 40% electricity demand to be met from renewable electricity sources by 2020.without significant adverse effects. In order to obtain the information to inform the development of targets for inclusion in the SAP, it was necessary to assess the cumulative effects that different levels of development (measured in theoretical numbers of commercial developments e.g. offshore wind farms, and associated sizes in MW) and spatial distributions of development (e.g. locations of commercial developments) would have on the environment. This was achieved though the following: 1. Define the theoretical levels of development (based on numbers of commercial developments of certain sizes (average MW) that would need to be deployed within Northern Ireland waters to achieve different levels of contribution (percentage contributions) towards the proposed 40% renewable electricity target for Northern Ireland. This is purely theoretical and does not reflect the available resource or any associated constraints on developing the resource (technical or environmental). 2. Determine how many developments (based on average sizes in MW for offshore wind farms and tidal arrays) could be accommodated within the main areas of resource identified in Chapter 8 of the environmental report. The number of developments that could be accommodated within the resource zones takes into account technological constraints only (i.e. NO Environmental Constraints at this stage in the process). 3. Assess the cumulative environmental effects that are likely to occur should the maximum number of developments that could technologically be accommodated within the different resource zones be taken forward for development. 4. Based on the results from the cumulative assessment, determine the likely level of development that could occur within each of the resource zones whilst minimising adverse effects on the environment and other sea users. Development Types The resource assessment has identified that there is limited wave resource within the Northern Ireland waters, with only one main area of potential resource located off the north coast. Taking this into account, wave developments have been excluded from the theoretical levels of development and the assessment of the capacity of the individual resource zones. However, this does not exclude wave from the SEA or inclusion within the SAP. It simply reduces the pressure to deliver significant levels of energy from a technology where the available resource is already fairly limited. As regards target setting, the focus is therefore on offshore wind and tidal stream developments. Theoretical Development Scenarios Table 5 provides information on the theoretical levels of development (offshore wind and tidal) that would be required to achieve contributions of between 25% and 100% towards the proposed Northern Ireland target of 40% energy to be provided from renewable energy sources by Table 5: Theoretical levels of Development Estimated Total NI energy demand in 2020 = ~ 11,000 GWh Estimated Installed capacity in NI in 2020 = ~ 4,000 MW Renewable electricity target for 2020 of 40% = ~1,600 MW Contribution of offshore wind and tidal electricity to achieving proposed NI 40% renewable energy target Equivalent MW % Contribution contribution Likely number of developments required to achieve % contribution (based on average wind farm size of 300 MW) Likely number of developments required to achieve % contribution (based on average tidal array size of 50 MW) 25% 400 MW 1 wind 300 MW 2 tidal 100 MW 37.5% 600 MW 2 wind 600 MW 0 tidal 0 MW 1 wind 300 MW 6 tidal 300 MW 50% 800 MW 2 wind 600 MW 4 tidal 200 MW 70% 1200 MW 3 wind 900 MW 6 tidal 300 MW 100% 1600 MW 4 wind 1200 MW 8 tidal 400 MW 18