Orkney Marine Licence Application Shapinsay - Stronsay Environmental Supporting Information Scottish and Southern Energy plc Assignment Number: A200331-S01 Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-002 Xodus Group Xodus House, 50 Huntly Street Aberdeen, UK, AB10 1RS T +44 (0)1224 628300 E [email protected] www.xodusgroup.com Shapinsay - Stronsay Environmental Supporting Information A200331-S01 Client: Scottish and Southern Energy plc Document Type: Report Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-002 MB/KC/ A01 01/06/18 Issued for Use EH KC - ORCA Checked Approved Client Rev Date Description Issued By By By Approval Orkney Marine Licence Application – Shapinsay - Stronsay Environmental Supporting Information Assignment Number: A200331-S01 Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-002 ii CONTENTS GLOSSARY 6 1 INTRODUCTION 8 1.1 Introduction 8 1.2 Work completed to date 8 1.2.1 Marine surveys 8 1.2.2 Route optimisation 8 1.3 Project description 10 1.3.1 Route overview 10 1.3.2 Submarine cable installation 11 1.3.3 Intertidal cable installation 13 1.3.4 Schedule 14 1.4 Consent requirements and relevant legislation 14 1.4.1 Marine Licence and supporting information requirements 14 1.4.2 Scottish National Marine Plan 15 1.4.3 Pilot Orkney Waters and Pentland Firth Marine Spatial Plan (MSP) 16 1.5 Stakeholder consultation 17 1.6 Environmental assessment scope 18 2 ECOLOGICAL PROTECTED SITES 19 2.1 Introduction 19 2.2 Consultation 21 2.3 Internationally important sites 21 2.3.1 Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (NCMPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) 21 2.3.2 Special Areas of Conservation (SPAs) and Ramsar sites 22 2.4 Nationally and locally important sites 22 2.5 Potential impacts 24 3 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT 26 3.1 Introduction 26 3.2 Legislation and policy context 26 3.3 Consultation 26 3.4 Physical environment description 26 4 BENTHIC AND INTERTIDAL ECOLOGY 29 4.1 Introduction 29 4.2 Legislation and Policy Context 29 4.2.1 European Habitats Directive 29 4.2.2 Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 29 4.2.3 Biodiversity Action Plan (BAPs) 30 4.2.4 Orkney Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) 30 4.3 Consultation 30 4.4 Benthic and intertidal ecology description 31 4.4.1 Subtidal area 31 4.4.2 Intertidal area 37 4.5 Potential Impacts to benthic and intertidal ecology 41 4.5.1 Potential impacts during cable installation 41 Orkney Marine Licence Application – Shapinsay - Stronsay Environmental Supporting Information Assignment Number: A200331-S01 Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-002 iii 4.5.2 Potential impacts during cable operation and maintenance 44 4.5.3 Impact, management and mitigation summary 44 5 MARINE MAMMALS, OTTERS, FISH AND BIRDS 46 5.1 Introduction 46 5.2 Legislation and Policy Context 46 5.3 Consultation 46 5.4 Receptor description 48 5.4.1 Marine mammals 48 5.4.2 Fish ecology 50 5.4.3 Ornithology 52 5.5 Summary of potential impacts 56 6 MARINE ARCHAEOLOGY 59 6.1 Introduction 59 6.2 Legislation and policy context 59 6.2.1 International/ EU legislation and policy 59 6.2.2 UK legislation and policy 59 6.2.3 Scottish legislation and policy 60 6.2.4 Local planning policy 60 6.2.5 Codes of practice, professional guidance and standards documents 60 6.3 Consultation 61 6.4 Sources of information 61 6.4.1 Desk-based assessment 61 6.4.2 Field surveys 62 6.5 Assessment Methodology 62 6.5.1 Desk Based Assessment 62 6.5.2 Field surveys 63 6.5.3 Receptor evaluation 65 6.6 Site characterisation 66 6.6.1 Potential for submerged landscapes and prehistoric sites 66 6.6.2 Shipwrecks and aircraft wrecks 66 6.6.3 Unexploded ordinance (UXO) 70 6.6.4 Geophysical anomalies 70 6.7 Potential Impacts 72 6.7.1 Direct damage to or destruction of known marine historic environment assets including geophysical anomalies and unexploded ordnance 72 6.7.2 Direct damage to or destruction of unknown marine historic environment assets including unexploded ordnance 72 6.7.3 Direct damage to or destruction of known and unknown marine historic environment assets and unexploded ordnance 73 6.7.4 Potential indirect damage to or destruction of known and unknown marine historic environment assets including unexploded ordnance 73 6.8 Mitigation 73 6.8.1 Mitigation by design 73 6.8.2 Mitigation during installation 73 6.8.3 Mitigation during operation 74 6.9 Residual Impacts 74 7 CONCLUSION 76 7.1 Key receptors 76 7.1.1 Ecological protected sites 76 7.1.2 Benthic and intertidal ecology 76 7.1.3 Marine mammals, fish, birds and otters 77 7.1.4 Marine archaeology 77 7.2 Residual impacts 78 7.3 Compliance with the NMP 78 Orkney Marine Licence Application – Shapinsay - Stronsay Environmental Supporting Information Assignment Number: A200331-S01 Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-002 iv 8 REFERENCES 80 Orkney Marine Licence Application – Shapinsay - Stronsay Environmental Supporting Information Assignment Number: A200331-S01 Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-002 v GLOSSARY AfL Agreement for Lease AIS Automatic Identification System BAP Biodiversity Action Plan CEMP Construction Environment Management Plan EMEC European Marine Energy Centre EMF Electromagnetic Fields EPS European Protected Species ESG Environmental Scientifics Group FLMAP Fisheries Liaison and Mitigation Action Plan ICES International Council for the Exploitation of the Sea IMO International Marine Organisation IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature JNCC Joint Nature Conservation Committees Kp Kilometre Point LNCS Local Nature Conservation Site MCA Maritime Coastguard Agency MMO Marine Management Organisation MPA Marine Protected Area NERC Natural Environment Research Council NBN National Biodiversity Network NCMPA Nature Conservation Marine Protection Area NLB Northern Lighthouse Board OBRC Orkney Biological Research Centre OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic PFOW Pentland and Orkney Waters PMF Priority Marine Features pSPA proposed Special Protection Area PSA Particle Size Analysis RNLI Royal National Lifeboat Institute RYA Royal Yachting Association SAC Special Area of Conservation SAST JNCC Seabirds at Sea Team SCANS Small Cetaceans in the European Atlantic and North Sea SHE Scottish Hydro Electric SMRU Sea Mammal Research Unit Orkney Marine Licence Application – Shapinsay - Stronsay Environmental Supporting Information Assignment Number: A200331-S01 Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-002 6 SNH Scottish Natural Heritage SPA Special Protection Area SSEN Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest TCE The Crown Estate UK United Kingdom UKCS United Kingdom Continental Shelf Orkney Marine Licence Application – Shapinsay - Stronsay Environmental Supporting Information Assignment Number: A200331-S01 Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-002 7 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction In line with Part 4 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution plc (SHEPD) is submitting an application for a Marine Licence for the replacement of a subsea distribution cable between the islands of Shapinsay and Stronsay in Orkney (the ‘Project’). The purpose of this report is to provide information on the proposed works for the subsea cable and present the environmental information required in support of the Marine Licence application. The existing 33 kV submarine electricity cable from the Bay of Crook in Shapinsay to Bay of Holland in Stronsay within the Orkney Isles was installed in 1992 and had already been identified as nearing the end of its operational life. This has been verified through existing asset records and following recent ROV inspection of the cable. Additionally, the cable has been repaired since installation and contains five subsea repair joints, making further repair difficult. Due to a fault on the 12th May 2018, causing the loss of power supply to the islands, there is an emergency for replacing the existing cable in order to maintain a safe and reliable supply of electricity to the islands. The existing cable route and proposed replacement cable corridor are shown in Figure 1.1. 1.2 Work completed to date 1.2.1 Marine surveys Marine surveys were undertaken between September 2015 and October 2015 in order to confirm the viability of the proposed new cable route in relation to seabed conditions, bathymetry and any other seabed features. Geophysical and limited geotechnical marine surveys were undertaken over a 1,000 m wide corridor centred along the existing cable route (Figure 1.1). The main objectives of the marine surveys were to identify: > Seabed conditions (e.g. sand, rock, mud) to optimise the proposed marine route corridor (avoidance of rock outcrops); > Potential geological constraints, such as dykes, rock pinnacles, sand waves, incised channels etc.; > Locations of potential engineering constraints and/or safety hazards, such as existing pipelines and cables either in service or out of service, wrecks, marine debris and unexploded ordnance; and > Areas of potential biological and ecological importance (such as biogenic and rocky reefs, priority marine features etc.) to allow habitat mapping and inform the requirement for additional surveys and assessment. 1.2.2 Route optimisation The 1,000 m corridor surveyed in 2015 was centred along the existing cable route and was selected following a review of potential cable landing points and current and proposed sea user activities. Following plans to progress horizontal directional drilling (HDD) as shore end solutions (as discussed at the Pre- Application Consultation Events held in 2016 and 2017), a second marine cable route survey was undertaken in June 2017. However, due to the emergency nature of the cable replacement, it is proposed to utilise the existing shore ends and to maintain a replacement cable route as close to the existing cable as possible rather than progress the HDD solution. The corridor surveyed in 2017 covers most of the replacement cable route, which will be located within a working corridor of approximately 250 m (Figure 1.1).