Greening Blue Energy

Greening Blue Energy: Idenꢀfying and managing the

biodiversity risks and opportuniꢀes of oﬀshore renewable energy

Edited by Dan Wilhelmsson et al.

The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN, E.ON, or SIDA concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN, E.ON, or SIDA. This publication has been made possible by funding from E.ON and SIDA. Statements and conclusions are not necessarily based on consensus, but rather reflect the median views of the authors.

Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. Copyright: © 2010 Internaꢀonal Union for Conservaꢀon of Nature and Natural Resources Reproducꢀon of this publicaꢀon for educaꢀonal or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior wriꢁen permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproducꢀon of this publicaꢀon for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior wriꢁen permission of the copyright holder.

Citaꢀon: Wilhelmsson, D., Malm, T., Thompson, R., Tchou, J., Sarantakos, G., McCormick, N., Luitjens, S., Gullström, M., Paꢁerson Edwards, J.K., Amir, O. and Dubi, A.

(eds.) (2010). Greening Blue Energy: Iden ꢀ fying and managing the biodiversity risks and opportuni ꢀ es of o ﬀ shore renewable energy. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. 102pp.

Citaꢀon of individual chapters: Wilhelmsson, D., Langhamer, O. and Tchou, J. (2010). ‘Brief on Wave, Tidal and Current Power’. In: D. Wilhelmsson, et al. (eds.) Greening

Blue Energy: Iden ꢀ fying and managing the biodiversity risks and opportuni ꢀ es of o ﬀ shore renewable energy, pp. 5-7. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.

ISBN: 978-2-8317-1241-3

Design and layout by: James Oliver, IUCN Printed by: SwissPrinters IRL Front cover photo credits: Top leꢂ: albatross over the Paciﬁc Ocean © Imène Meliane/IUCN. Middle leꢂ: Service vessel at Nysted wind farm in Denmark © Gunnar Britse. Lower leꢂ: Loggerhead turtle © Mito Paz. Main photo: Oﬀshore wind farm © E.ON Climate & Renewables.

Back cover photo credit: Fishing vessel leaving Lillgrund Wind Farm in Sweden; photo: © Maꢁhias Rust.

Available from: IUCN (Internaꢀonal Union for Conservaꢀon of Nature) Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland Switzerland Telephone +41 22 999 0217; Fax +41 22 999 0025 email: [email protected] website: hꢁp://www.iucn.org/marine

Authors:

Dan Wilhelmsson^1,2, Torleif Malm³, Richard Thompson⁴, Jeremy Tchou⁵, Georgios Sarantakos¹, Nadine McCormick¹, Sabrina Luitjens⁶, Martin Gullström², J.K.Patterson Edwards⁷, Omar Amir⁸, Alfonse Dubi⁸

1. IUCN Global Marine Programme, Switzerland 2. Dept. of Zoology, Stockholm University, Sweden 3. Umeå Marine Research Centre, Umeå University, Sweden 4. Peninsular Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy, University of Plymouth, UK 5. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, USA 6. E.ON Climate and Renewables, Düsseldorf, Germany 7. Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute, India 8. Institute for Marine Science, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

About the Organisaꢀons

IUCN

IUCN, Internaꢀonal Union for Conservaꢀon of Nature, helps the world find pragmaꢀc soluꢀons to our most pressing environment and development challenges. IUCN works on biodiversity, climate change, energy, human livelihoods and greening the world economy by supporꢀng scienꢀfic research, managing field projects all over the world, and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best pracꢀce.

IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organizaꢀon, with more than 1,000 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by over 1,000 staﬀ in 60 oﬃces and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world.

hꢁp://www.iucn.org

E.ON Climate and Renewables

With €82 billion in sales and roughly 88,000 employees, E.ON is one of the world’s largest investor-owned energy companies. E.ON Climate & Renewables is the division responsible for E.ON Groups renewable energy porꢂolio and carbon sourcing business worldwide and E.ON is invesꢀng €8 Billion for 2007 -2011 in renewable energy generaꢀon and carbon abatement project to signiﬁcantly grow its business. For more informaꢀon: hꢁp://www.eon.com/renewables

Swedish Internaꢀonal Development Cooperaꢀon Agency

Swedish Internaꢀonal Development Cooperaꢀon Agency (Sida) is the Swedish agency for development cooperaꢀon. The overall goal of Swedish development cooperaꢀon is to contribute to making it possible for poor people to improve their living condiꢀons, and Sida includes environmentally sustainable development as one of the key goals in its acꢀviꢀes in the developing world.

Table of Contents

Tables, Figures and Boxes..................................................................... vi Acknowledgements.............................................................................. vii Execuꢀve Summary.............................................................................. ix

1 Introducꢀon
4 Impacts of oﬀshore wind farms on the marine environment

4.1 Impact summary table................................................................... 13 4.2 Managing impacts across the project life cycle..............................16 4.2.1 Planning.......................................................................................16 4.2.2 Construcꢀon................................................................................16 4.2.3 Operaꢀon and maintenance........................................................19 4.2.4 Decommissioning........................................................................ 23 4.3 Residual impacts.............................................................................25 4.4 Cumulaꢀve impacts and synergies................................................. 25 4.5 Interacꢀons with other marine users............................................. 26

5 Conclusions and recommendaꢀons

1.1 Background.....................................................................................1 1.2 Aim of the guidance document......................................................1 1.3 Target audience.............................................................................. 2 1.4 How to use this document............................................................. 2 1.5 Glossary of key terms and acronyms..............................................3

2 Overview of oﬀshore wind energy

2.1 Trends.............................................................................................5 2.2 Policy drivers.................................................................................. 6 2.3 Research status.............................................................................. 7

3 Impact assessment

5.1 Strategic and Governance issues....................................................27 5.2 Areas of uncertainty and points to address....................................27 5.3 Improving use of impact assessments............................................27 5.4 Final conclusions............................................................................ 28 6 Addiꢀonal resources.........................................................................29
3.1 Assessing impacts – the bigger picture.......................................... 9 3.2 Environmental assessment tools....................................................9 3.3 Legal context.................................................................................. 10 3.3.1 European legislaꢀon....................................................................10 3.3.2 World Bank requirements........................................................... 11 3.3.3 Guidance from government and industry................................... 11
Annexe 1 Research on Impacts............................................................ 31 Annexe 2 Legislaꢀon............................................................................ 61 Annexe 3 Brief on Wave, Tidal and Current Power (Wilhelmsson, D.,
Langhamer, O. & Tchou, J.)................................................... 67

References............................................................................................ 77

Idenꢀfying and managing biodiversity risks and opportuniꢀes of oﬀshore renewable energy - GREENING BLUE ENERGY

v

Tables, Figures and Boxes

TABLES

Table 1: Table 2: Table 3:

Top 5 countries wind capacity (Internaꢀonal Energy Agency, 2009)..............................................................................................................

5

6

Oﬀshore wind farms in operaꢀon around the world (adapted from EWEA (2009))......................................................................................

Key environmental issues of oﬀshore wind energy........................................................................................................................................ 14
Table A3-1: Esꢀmated energy potenꢀal for wave and ꢀdal technologies......................................................................................................................... 67

FIGURES

Figure 1: Figure 2: Figure 3: Figure 4: Figure 5:

Miꢀgaꢀon hierarchy .....................................................................................................................................................................................

9

Main differences between SEA and EIA (William, et al., 2005)..................................................................................................................... 10 Project lifecycle............................................................................................................................................................................................. 16 Offshore foundaꢀon opꢀons......................................................................................................................................................................... 17 A summary of stages within an SEA (based on EC Direcꢀve 2001/42/EC).................................................................................................... 25
Figure A1-1: Wind turbines, even without scour protecꢀon (e.g. boulders), can aggregate fish...................................................................................... 35 Figure A1-2: Schemaꢀc overview of some theoreꢀcal factors influencing wildlife, and radii of impact, during operaꢀon of offshore wind turbines..... 43 Figure A1-3: Schemaꢀc overview of suggested radii within which avoidance could be iniꢀated by different species during construcꢀon (monopiles) of offshore wind turbines ............................................................................................................................................................................ 45
Figure A3-1: Wave power density (kW/m) of wave front in different parts of the world (adapted from Langhamer, 2009b)......................................... 68 Figure A3-2: Example of wave converter based on the Overtopping System (OTS) principle, the Wave Dragon............................................................. 69 Figure A3-3: Example of wave converter based on the Oscillaꢀng Water Column (OWC) principle, the Limpet Plant (Wavegen).................................. 69 Figure A3-4: Example of a wave acꢀvated body, the Pelamis........................................................................................................................................... 70 Figure A3-5: Example of a wave acꢀvated body, the point absorber (Seabased Ltd)....................................................................................................... 71 Figure A3-6: An edible/brown crab (Cancer pagurus) taking shelter on a wave energy foundaꢀon................................................................................ 72 Figure A3-7: Deployment of a wave energy foundaꢀon that has been perforated with holes to invesꢀgate how it may enhance abundance of fish and crustaceans (Langhamer & Wilhelmsson, 2009)................................................................................................................................... 73

BOXES

Box 1: Box 2: Box 3:
Foundaꢀon types ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 17 Aquaculture ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Synergies with wind and wave power park ..................................................................................................................................................... 26

vi GREENING BLUE ENERGY - Idenꢀfying and managing biodiversity risks and opportuniꢀes of oﬀshore renewable energy

Acknowledgements

The IUCN Global Marine Programme and the authors wish to express their graꢀtude to the following researchers for providing valuable comments and inputs on Annexe 1 (Research on impacts; Review of the impacts of oﬀshore wind energy on the marine environment) and on an early draꢁ of Chapters 1-6:

Ph.L Mathias Andersson, Stockholm University, Sweden (on noise impacts on fish). Dr Andrew Gill, Cranfield University, UK. Dr Stephen Jay, Sheffield Hallam University, UK. Ph.L Åsa Romson, Stockholm University, Sweden (on legal and regulatory issues). Dr Henrik Skov, DHI Water & Environment, Denmark (on marine mammals and birds, including text contribuꢀons). We are also grateful to the parꢀcipants in the ‘Stakeholder Meeꢀng’ held at IUCN Headquarters in Gland, Switzerland in October 2009, for their dedicaꢀon in providing valuable inputs, including wriꢂen comments from Glória Rodrigues (EWEA) and Hans-Ulrich Rösner (WWF Germany), for the preparaꢀon of this document.

We also appreciated the conꢀnuous support of Maꢂhias Hansch, James Oliver, Carl Gustaf Lundin, Frank Plümacher and Francis Vorhies throughout the project, as well as the editorial work of Louise Johnson.

We also thank E.ON Climate and Renewables, Düsseldorf, Germany, and the Swedish Internaꢀonal Development Cooperaꢀon Agency for their ﬁnancial support.

Idenꢀfying and managing biodiversity risks and opportuniꢀes of oﬀshore renewable energy - GREENING BLUE ENERGY vii

Execuꢀve summary

In the relaꢀvely rapid development of offshore renewable energy, the issue of marine biodiversity is oꢁen not fully considered. IUCN has undertaken a joint project with the mulꢀnaꢀonal energy corporaꢀon E.ON and the Swedish Internaꢀonal Development Cooperaꢀon Agency (SIDA) to improve the environmental performance of offshore renewable energy projects by developing guidance to support best pracꢀce and fully integrate biodiversity consideraꢀons. can be applied to reduce the risk to local biodiversity, including difference in ꢀming, locaꢀon, design of system, and the use of measures to temporarily disperse affected species.

Nevertheless, if offshore wind power development is well planned and coordinated, the local subsurface marine environment could even benefit from wind farms in several ways. Trawling, for both fish and invertebrates, is one of the most severe threats to the marine environment, and is prohibited or limited inside wind farms. Furthermore, the foundaꢀons of wind turbines, including the boulders that are oꢁen placed around them for scour protecꢀon, will funcꢀon as so-called arꢀficial reefs, locally enhancing biomass for a number of species. It has, moreover, been suggested that surface-oriented offshore energy devices may funcꢀon as Fish Aggregaꢀon Devices (FAD).
The Greening Blue Energy project aims to facilitate well-balanced and sciencebased discussions on the impacts on the marine environment from offshore renewable energy developments.

The guidance provides a synthesis of current knowledge on the potenꢀal biodiversity impacts of offshore wind energy on the marine environment. It is based on scienꢀfic evidence and experiences from offshore renewable energy development and other relevant sectors. The foundaꢀon of the document is a review of more than 1000 reports and documents, at least 400 of which are peer-reviewed arꢀcles published in scienꢀfic journals, and results are presented in a jargon-free and balanced way. It aims to be user-friendly as well as structured in a way to provide more detail for those that need it and ulꢀmately to encourage improvements in the sustainability of the offshore renewable energy industry. Overall, the guidance promotes the consideraꢀon of science-based impact research, suitable for conducꢀng, scoping and evaluaꢀng Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), based on internaꢀonal and naꢀonal standards.
All this shows that environmental impacts from offshore renewable energy projects need to be assessed with a comprehensive approach. As the global offshore wind energy industry further expands and conꢀnues to mature, companies and governments will benefit from increased knowledge and experience.

Ongoing monitoring will be crucial in idenꢀfying how successful previous miꢀgaꢀon strategies have been in avoiding or reducing impacts on the marine environment. Future decisions can integrate new findings and miꢀgate new threats. By undertaking rigorous impact assessment and systemaꢀc environmental management, the industry will conꢀnue to learn through the plan, do, check, act approach, and apply conꢀnuous improvement to their pracꢀces and procedures. Through marine spaꢀal planning, cumulaꢀve and synergisꢀc impacts can be beꢂer managed, and impacts and opportuniꢀes for all sea users taken into consideraꢀon.
Potenꢀal impacts of offshore wind power development on the marine environment include disturbance effects from noise, electromagneꢀc fields, changed hydrodynamic condiꢀons and water quality, and altered habitat structure on benthic communiꢀes, fish, mammals and birds. To date, evidence for negaꢀve impacts on the subsurface marine environment are strongest for the construcꢀon phase. However, long-term disturbance of local marine ecosystems during the operaꢀonal phase cannot be excluded, and some bird species may largely avoid the wind farm areas. Various miꢀgaꢀon measures
Planning and development decisions made at this stage of the development of offshore wind energy will be seꢃng a precedent for future developments, both in Europe and beyond, so it is imperaꢀve that shortcomings in research and knowledge are addressed as a maꢂer of urgency.

Idenꢀfying and managing biodiversity risks and opportuniꢀes of oﬀshore renewable energy - GREENING BLUE ENERGY ix

1 Introducꢀon

1.1 Background

also tapped sustainably. As knowledge and experience builds with further development, the understanding of potenꢀal negaꢀve as well as posiꢀve impacts will improve; in the interim, there is the urgent need to draw on current knowledge. This document assists in addressing this situaꢀon.
Increasing energy demands, and recogniꢀon of the eﬀects of a changing climate resulꢀng from fossil fuel use, require a shiꢁ in the balance of energy sources.

Offshore wind-power generaꢀon capacity is anꢀcipated to grow significantly as the world makes unprecedented aꢂempts to transiꢀon to a lower carbon economy. The potenꢀal for renewable energy to be sourced from the offshore wind environment is only now being fully realised. Engineering soluꢀons now allow terrestrial concepts to be reconsidered in a marine environment, an energy territory previously considered the domain of offshore oil and gas. However, any type of energy producꢀon will exert some impact on the local and global environment. In reducing the atmospheric impacts from our energy sources, we must avoid replacing one set of significant impacts with another.

1.2 Aim of the guidance document

IUCN has undertaken a joint project with the mulꢀ- naꢀonal energy corporaꢀon E.ON and the Swedish Internaꢀonal Development Cooperaꢀon Agency (SIDA) to improve the environmental performance of oﬀshore renewable energy projects by developing guidance to support best pracꢀce biodiversity consideraꢀons. It is envisaged that the guidance will also serve to inform the policy and pracꢀce of the conservaꢀon community and governments. This is especially relevant for developing countries where capacity is lower but renewable energy infrastructure is increasingly promoted.