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Westray - Rousay Marine Licence Application Westray - Rousay Marine Licence Application Environmental Supporting Information Scottish and Southern Energy plc Assignment Number: A200331-S01 Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-001 Xodus Group Xodus House, 50 Huntly Street Aberdeen, UK, AB10 1RS T +44 (0)1224 628300 E [email protected] www.xodusgroup.com Environmental Supporting Information A200331-S01 Client: Scottish and Southern Energy plc Document Type: Report Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-001 A01 14/08/2017 Issued for Use MM LF MM - R01 04/08/2017 Issued for Review ML SE MM - Checked Approved Client Rev Date Description Issued By By By Approval Westray - Rousay Marine Licence Application – Environmental Supporting Information Assignment Number: A200331-S01 Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-001 ii CONTENTS ACRONYMS 5 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 1.2.3 Landfall site visit 10 1.2.4 Additional marine surveys 10 1.3 Project description 10 1.3.1 Overview 10 1.3.2 Submarine cable installation 10 1.3.3 Intertidal cable installation 13 1.3.4 Vessels 15 1.3.5 Schedule 15 1.4 Consent requirements and relevant legislation 15 1.4.1 Marine Licence and supporting information requirements 15 1.4.2 Scottish National Marine Plan 15 1.4.3 Pilot Orkney Waters and Pentland Firth Marine Spatial Plan (MSP) 18 2 ENVIRONMENTAL OVERVIEW AND IDENTIFICATION OF KEY ENVIRONMENTAL RECEPTORS 19 2.1 Overview of Project area 19 2.1.1 Ecological Protected sites 19 2.1.2 Physical environment (including seabed conditions) 20 2.1.3 Benthic and intertidal ecology 22 2.1.4 Fish ecology 22 2.1.5 Ornithology 24 2.1.6 Marine mammals 26 2.1.7 Commercial fisheries 28 2.1.8 Shipping and navigation 29 2.1.9 Marine archaeology 29 2.1.10 Other sea users 30 3 ECOLOGICAL PROTECTED SITES 40 3.1 Introduction 40 3.2 Legislation and Policy Context 40 3.2.1 Habitat Regulations Appraisal (HRA) Requirements 40 3.2.2 Other relevant legislation 41 3.3 Protected sites 41 3.4 Seal haul-outs 43 3.5 Consultation 44 3.6 Potential impacts on protected sites and qualifying features 49 3.7 Potential impacts on seal haul-out sites 51 4 BENTHIC AND INTERTIDAL ECOLOGY 53 4.1 Introduction 53 4.2 Legislation and Policy Context 53 Westray - Rousay Marine Licence Application – Environmental Supporting Information Assignment Number: A200331-S01 Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-001 iii 4.2.1 European Habitats Directive 53 4.2.2 Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 53 4.2.3 Biodiversity Action Plan (BAPs) 54 4.2.4 Orkney Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) 54 4.3 Site characteristics 54 4.3.1 Intertidal areas 54 4.3.2 Subtidal area 59 4.4 Consultation 66 4.5 Potential impacts to benthic and intertidal ecology 66 4.5.1 Sensitivity of key protected features to potential impacts in Project area 66 4.5.2 Potential impacts during cable installation 68 4.5.3 Potential impacts during cable operation 70 4.6 Further management and mitigation measures 70 5 MARINE ARCHAEOLOGY 72 5.1 Introduction 72 5.2 Legislation and policy context 72 5.2.1 International/ EU legislation and policy 72 5.2.2 UK legislation and policy 72 5.2.3 Scottish legislation and policy 73 5.2.4 Local planning policy 73 5.2.5 Codes of practice, professional guidance and standards documents 73 5.3 Sources of information 74 5.3.1 Desk-based assessment 74 5.3.2 Field surveys 75 5.4 Assessment Methodology 75 5.4.1 Desk Based Assessment 75 5.4.2 Field surveys 75 5.4.3 Receptor evaluation 77 5.5 Site characterisation 78 5.5.1 Potential for submerged landscapes and prehistoric sites 78 5.5.2 Shipwrecks and aircraft wrecks 78 5.5.3 Unexploded ordinance (UXO) 82 5.5.4 Geophysical anomalies 82 5.6 Potential Impacts 85 5.6.1 Direct damage to or destruction of known marine historic environment assets including geophysical anomalies and unexploded ordnance 85 5.6.2 Direct damage to or destruction of unknown marine historic environment assets including unexploded ordnance 85 5.6.3 Direct damage to or destruction of known and unknown marine historic environment assets and unexploded ordnance 86 5.6.4 Potential indirect damage to or destruction of known and unknown marine historic environment assets including unexploded ordnance 86 5.7 Mitigation 86 5.7.1 Mitigation by design 86 5.7.2 Mitigation during installation 86 5.7.3 Mitigation during operation 87 5.8 Residual Impacts 87 6 CONCLUSIONS 2 6.1 Key receptors 2 6.2 Compliance with the NMP 3 7 REFERENCES 5 8 APPENDIX A: MBES ANOMALIES 9 Westray - Rousay Marine Licence Application – Environmental Supporting Information Assignment Number: A200331-S01 Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-001 iv ACRONYMS AfL Agreement for Lease AIS Automatic Identification System ATBA Area To Be Avoided BAP Biodiversity Action Plan CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CEMP Construction Environment Management Plan CIfA Chartered Institute for Archaeologists DBA Desk-based Assessment DDV Drop Down Video DP Dynamic Positioning DSV Dive Support Vessel EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EMEC European Marine Energy Centre EMF Electromagnetic Fields EMODnet European Marine Observation and Data Network EPS European Protected Species ES Environmental Statement ESG Environmental Scientifics Group FEAST Feature Activity Sensitivity Tool FLMAP Fisheries Liaison and Mitigation Action Plan FOCI Features of Conservation Importance HES Historic Environment Scotland HMPA Historic Marine Protected Area HRA Habitats Regulations Appraisal 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 Committee LBAP Local Biodiversity Action Plan LNCS Local Nature Conservation Site LSE Likely Significant Effect MBES Multibeam Echosounder MCA Maritime Coastguard Agency MHWS Mean High water Springs MLWS Mean Low water Springs Westray - Rousay Marine Licence Application – Environmental Supporting Information Assignment Number: A200331-S01 Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-001 5 MMO Marine Management Organisation MMPP Marine Mammal Protection Plan MPA Marine Protected Area MS-LOT Marine Scotland Licensing Operations Team MSP Marine Spatial Plan NERC Natural Environment Research Council NBN National Biodiversity Network NCMPA Nature Conservation Marine Protection Area NLB Northern Lighthouse Board NMP National Marine Plan NRHE National Record of the Historic Environment OBRC Orkney Biological Research Centre OIC Orkney Islands Council OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic PAM Passive Acoustic Monitoring PAN Planning Advice Note PFOW Pentland Firth 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 SEA Strategic Environmental Assessment SHEPD Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution plc SMRU Sea Mammal Research Unit SNH Scottish Natural Heritage SPA Special Protection Area SPP Scottish Planning Policy SSEN Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest SULA Scientific Underwater Logistics And Diving TCE The Crown Estate Te Tonne UK United Kingdom Westray - Rousay Marine Licence Application – Environmental Supporting Information Assignment Number: A200331-S01 Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-001 6 UKBAP UK Biodiversity Action Plan UKCS United Kingdom Continental Shelf UKHO UK Hydrographic Office UNCLOS United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea UXO Unexploded Ordinance VMS Vessel Monitoring Systems Westray - Rousay Marine Licence Application – Environmental Supporting Information Assignment Number: A200331-S01 Document Number: A-200331-S01-REPT-001 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 distribution submarine electricity cable (hereafter referred to as the cable) between the islands of Westray and Rousay in Orkney (the ‘Project’). The purpose of this report and the separately produced (Fisheries) Liaison Mitigation Action Plan (FLMAP) is to provide information on the proposed works for the replacement of the cable and present the environmental information required in support of the Marine Licence application. The existing 33 kV distribution submarine electricity cable connecting Westray and Rousay was installed in 1983 and is nearing the end of its operational life. This has been verified through SHEPD’s existing asset records and following recent visual inspections of the cable. Replacing the existing cable is therefore essential to securing power supplies to the island of Westray and improves security of supply to Rousay, Eday, Sanday, Shapinsay and Stronsay, and consequently seen as of over-riding public interest. The existing cable and proposed route for the replacement cable is shown in Figure 1.1. 1.2 Work completed to date 1.2.1 Marine surveys A marine survey was undertaken between September 2015 and October 2015 in order to confirm the viability of the proposed cable route in relation to seabed conditions, bathymetry and any other seabed features. Geophysical and limited geotechnical data was acquired for a 1,000 m wide corridor centred along the existing cable route. The main objectives of the marine survey 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 importance such as biogenic and rocky reefs and priority marine features (PMFs).
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