Environmental Baseline Study for the Development of Renewable Energy Sources, Energy Storages and a Meshed Electricity Grid in the Irish and North Seas
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Environmental Baseline Study for the Development of Renewable Energy Sources, Energy Storages and a Meshed Electricity Grid in the Irish and North Seas WP3 Final Baseline Environmental Report Ecofys and RPS June 2017 EUROPEAN COMMISSION Directorate-General for Energy Directorate B — Internal Energy Market Unit B.1 — Networks and Regional initiatives Contact: Nicole Versijp E-mail: [email protected] European Commission B-1049 Brussels The Project Team of Ecofys and RPS acknowledge the contributions provided by Mr. Ulf Kjellerup (COWI) and Dr. James Massey along with the North Seas Energy Cooperation. Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union. Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone boxes or hotels may charge you). LEGAL NOTICE This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://www.europa.eu). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2017 ISBN: 978-92-79-70770-4 Catalogue number: MJ-01-17-755-EN-N doi: 10.2833/720927 © European Union, 2017 Environmental Baseline Study for the Development of Renewable Energy Sources, Energy Storages and a Meshed Electricity Grid in the Irish and North Seas ABSTRACT The development of an offshore renewable energy system, including grid infrastructure, in the Irish and North Seas represents a significant opportunity towards meeting the European Union’s energy goals. To ensure that environmental concerns and impacts are appropriately considered at an early stage in the development of such an offshore energy and grid system, the European Commission has appointed a multi- disciplinary team to prepare an environmental baseline study based on a regional concept. This Baseline Environmental Study has been named BEAGINS which stands for Baseline Environmental Assessment for the Grid in the Irish and North Seas. The six target Member States for this study include: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The initial output of the study included the preparation of a Regional Concept Report with the objective of developing a detailed plan of the combined energy and grid infrastructure in the Irish and North Seas. Three capacity scenarios have been developed with associated radial and grid infrastructure options. A Baseline Environmental Report was then prepared comprising a comprehensive Impact Dictionary, a Data Catalogue and an Environmental Baseline. The environmental baseline examines the relevant significant issues of the current state of the environment in relation to biodiversity, flora and fauna; population and human health; soils, geology and sediment; water; air quality and climatic factors; materials assets; cultural heritage; and landscape and seascape. Stakeholder consultation with the Member States was undertaken throughout the development of the study and key issues identified where considered in the development of the Baseline Environmental Report. Six Recommendations were identified from the baseline study to set building blocks toward creating a backdrop where coordination is facilitated across Member States. They include suggestions relating to development of an appropriate planning framework; coordinated infrastructure roll-out; development of an appropriate management framework; data management and storage; development of best practice guidance; and monitoring and data requirements. The recommendations reflect progress towards an integrated meshed grid scenario, in line with the impact assessment findings. 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 Introduction The development of an offshore renewable energy system in the Irish and North Seas represents a significant opportunity towards meeting the European Union’s (EU) energy, environmental, growth and employment objectives. The region has a vast renewable energy potential that could provide a significant share of Europe’s power supply by 2030 and beyond. Furthermore, such a regional energy system could also contribute to the further integration and flexibility of the electricity market in northwest Europe, which is an important step towards a single European electricity market and improved energy security within the EU. To ensure that environmental concerns and impacts are appropriately considered in the development of such an offshore energy system, the European Commission has appointed a multi-disciplinary team to prepare an environmental study. This baseline study has been named BEAGINS which stands for Baseline Environmental Assessment for the Grid in the Irish and North Seas. This Baseline Environmental Report, prepared as part of the study, sets out the effects (both positive and negative) of future energy and grid scenarios up to 2030. The future energy and grid scenarios have been developed as a complementary part of the study in the form of a Regional Concept Report.1 The study area for BEAGINS has been developed with reference to work carried out for the Regional Concept Report, and includes the territorial waters of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (UK). An outline of the broad study area for the Baseline Environmental Study is presented in Figure 1-1. 1.2 Purpose of the Baseline Environmental Study This Baseline Environmental Study and associated report is intended to inform any future plans for renewable energy generation, energy storage, grid cables and associated equipment in the Irish and North Seas. It will be available as a resource for the relevant Member States and stakeholders to inform environmental assessments, such as Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Appropriate Assessment (AA) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), as appropriate. This Baseline Environmental Study is a tool to assist in the realization of EU-wide and national renewable energy targets by providing a source of data on baseline, impacts and mitigation which can be applied across and within the various Member States within the study area. It will also provide a forum for identification of data gaps and coordination of solutions between Member States. 1 Ecofys (2017) Regional Concept Report. Environmental Baseline Study for the Development of Renewable Energy Sources, Energy Storages and a Meshed Electricity Grid in the Irish and North Seas Figure 1-1 - Study Area 1.3 Baseline Environmental Study – Key Outputs The Baseline Environmental Study involved a number of phases including the development of a: Scoping Report; Regional Concept Report; Impact Dictionary; Data Catalogue; and Environmental Baseline. As part of the development of these elements various consultation opportunities were undertaken, as outlined in Figure 1-2. The feedback received has informed the overall development of this Baseline Environmental Report. Figure 1-2 - Overview of Consultation Timeline Scoping Report In early 2016 (April and May) the capacity scenarios and the topology for the grid connection, including its interconnectors, for the Regional Concept were consulted with stakeholders. The stakeholders consulted included Transmission System Operators (TSO’s) and representatives of the Member States. The overall feedback was positive and agreed with the proposed purpose being that the locations of the renewable energy sources (RES) for 2030 are intended only to provide a reasonable distribution achieving the capacities per scenario, and are not a reflection of any government policies or plans, which are subject to change. Environmental Baseline Study for the Development of Renewable Energy Sources, Energy Storages and a Meshed Electricity Grid in the Irish and North Seas In May 2016 a draft Scoping Report on the Baseline Environmental Study was published on the project website [www.beagins.eu]. This provided an overview and description of a number of features relating to the development of an energy system in the Irish and North Seas including: • The institutional and legislative framework; • The scope, objectives and conclusions of the existing national SEA studies relating to maritime spatial planning at national level; • Key stakeholders; • Key environmental aspects to be addressed in the Baseline Environmental Study and a description of the scope of the environmental baseline to be prepared; and • Recommendations on specific impact identification and evaluation methodologies to be used. As part of this Scoping Stage, each of the Member States were contacted and asked to contribute with reference to the draft scoping report. The Scoping Report was then used to inform the overall development of this Baseline Environmental Study. The Regional Concept Report As part of the Baseline Environmental Study a Regional Concept Report has been prepared and this has also been subject to stakeholder consultation. It provides details on the renewable energy system across the six target countries, in the Irish and North Seas. The objective of the Regional Concept Report is to develop a detailed plan of the combined energy infrastructure in the Irish and North Seas. The approach taken is consistent with current targets related to renewable energy and current network developments in the region. The level of detail is at single power plant resolution (e.g. offshore wind farms or wave power plants) and to