Case studies of EIA in practice - Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment - page 289

9.8 UK offshore wind energy development—strategic environmental
assessment
9.8.1 Introduction
This case study provides an example of the application of SEA in practice, and concerns
the SEA of the UK government's plans for the future development (post-2004) of
offshore wind energy. The SEA was carried out during 2002-03, prior to the
implementation of the EU SEA Directive (2001/42/EC). Further information on the
requirements of this Directive, and on SEA more generally, can be found in Chapter 12.
The context for this particular example of SEA was ambitious government targets for
renewable energy generation, linked to the achievement of the UK's commitments in the
Kyoto Protocol to significantly reduce CO 2 emissions. At the time of the SEA (2002-03),
the UK Government was committed to supplying 10 per cent of electricity needs from
renewable sources by 2010, rising to 20 per cent by 2020. Offshore wind energy was seen
as a major contributor towards these targets (DTI 2003a), and the UK Government
wished to see rapid development of the industry. But it was also committed to an SEA
process, which was intended to influence decisions on which areas of the sea should be
offered to developers (and which should be excluded), as well as to guide decisions on
bids submitted by individual developers. At the time, offshore wind energy was a new
industry undergoing rapid development, and there were therefore many uncertainties
about environmental impacts, including potential cumulative effects. This presented
difficulties for the SEA work.
9.8.2 Development of offshore wind energy in the UK
The development of offshore wind energy in the UK involves separate licensing and
consent systems. The licensing system is operated by the Crown Estate, in its role as
landowner of the UK sea bed. Licensing takes place under a competitive tendering
process in which developers submit bids for potential wind farm sites. It is left to the
developers themselves to identify potential sites, from within broad areas defined by the
UK DTI. The developers submitting successful bids are then offered an option on their
proposed site. Detailed technical studies, consultation and EIA work on the site is then
undertaken by the developer, prior to the submission of a consent application. The
necessary planning consents are granted by the DTI and the DEFRA, following
consultation with the LPAs most closely affected, statutory consultees and the public.
Once the necessary consents have been obtained, developers are granted a lease of 40-50
years on the site and can then begin construction of the wind farm.
In the UK, the Crown Estate's first invitation to developers for site leases (Round 1 of
licensing) took place in April 2001. This resulted in 18 planned developments, each of up
to 30 turbines. Most of these schemes obtained planning consent in 2002-03 and were
installed from 2003 onwards. After this first round of licensing, the government
published “Future Offshore”, a document setting out its plans for the second licensing
round (DTI 2002). This envisaged much larger developments than in the previous round,