2010 - offshore wind environmental impacts

Environmental impactsOffshore wind

David Clubb

Wind farm development November 11th 2010 - Barcelona

Air and climate change programmeEnergy and transport group

david.clubb@eea.europa.eu

David Clubb

Renewable energy project manager

What is the EEA?

offshore wind impacts

planning & future developments

What is the EEA?

32 members

CBA – 10:1

protect

coordinate

inform

ACC

IEA

NSVSES

ADS

mitigation

air/noise

energy/transport

2009

www.eea.europa.eu/publications/europes-onshore-and-offshore-wind-energy-potential

630 GW

NREAPS

www.ecn.nl/docs/library/report/2010/e10069.pdf

Why the interestin

offshore wind?

Some predictions

Impacts…

“Pure power, EWEA, 2009”

http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/2010-014.pdf

Construction

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Operation

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Decommissioninghttp://www.flickr.com/photos/glentropy/2315000395/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Construction

www.centrica.co.uk

dredging drilling

piling

boat traffic

http://www.noordzeewind.nl/files/Common/Data/OWEZ_R_252_Tc_20080219_harbour_porpoises.pdf

“…construction did not lead to visibly increased mortality of harbour porpoises…” http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/content/image_galleries/northwest_whales_s12_w6_gallery.shtml?8

“Did the pile driving during construction of Egmond aan Zee impact porpoises?”

“For bottlenose dolphins, auditory injury would only have occurred within 100m of the pile-driving…and behavioural disturbance, defined as modifications in behaviour, could have occurred up to 50km away”

Assessing underwater noise levels during pile-driving at an offshore windfarm and its potential effects on marine mammals, Bailey et al, 2010

a b c

www.water.utwente.nl

Encyclopedia Britannica

wider is better

Operation

maintenance

operation

“Overall, less than 1% of the ducks and geese fly close enough to the turbines to be at any risk of collision…”

Avian collision risk at an offshore wind farm, Desholm et al, 2005

“…efforts should also be made to assess the cumulative impacts of small-scale local effects on the different geographically-defined avian populations…”

?

not enough

data

“…direct habitat loss is between 2% and 5% of the total development area…potential positive impacts may arise from the creation of refuges free from fishing pressure”

Impacts of climate change and selected renewables on EU biodiversity and Natura 2000 network, Keder et al, 2009

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closer is better

artificial reef

“…The evidence on the impacts of cables is inconclusive but the impacts seem to be minimal”

Spatial planning of offshore wind farms: A windfall to marine environmental protection? Punt et al, 2009

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Decommissioning

similar impacts

Construction

to sum up

Impacts of climate change and selected renewables on EU biodiversity and Natura 2000 network, Keder et al, 2009

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_040608-N-8164H-004_Members_of_the_Federal_Funeral_Operations_Center,_Naval_Base_Ventura_County,_Point_Mugu,_meet_to_discuss_the_status_of_planning_of_full_military_honors_for_former_President_Ronald_Reagan.jpg

planning

Integrated Marine Policy

action plan

marine strategy framework directiveen

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Framework for

marine policy

environmental status2020

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:232:0014:0024:EN:PDF

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:232:0014:0024:EN:PDF

“criteria and methodological

standards on good environmental status of

marine waters”

1st September 2010

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reminder

Cumulative impact

SEA directive

EIA directive

habitats directive

www.doodlepress.co.uk/images/125599184714j320.jpg

www.marina-platform.info

www.offshoregrid.eu

www.orecca.eu

www.windspeed.eu

windspeed.eu

Spatial planning of offshore wind farms: A windfall to marine environmental protection? Punt et al, 2009

marginal impact

so far, so good

use best

cumulative impacts

practice