Round 3 site selection

How are the sites for Round 3 offshore wind farm projects selected?

The Crown Estate, which has the rights to lease areas of seabed for offshore wind farms around the UK, launched a large-scale offshore wind programme called ‘Round 3’ at the end of 2009. This programme is the largest commitment to developing offshore renewable energy in the world, and because the approach will result in a series of projects being developed between now and 2020 it provides greater certainty for investors and supply chain companies, and should help to develop the industry in the UK, helping to create new jobs.

Before Round 3, individual offshore wind farm sites were identified by offshore wind developers, and these sites were then awarded to them for development. For Round 3, a different approach was adopted. The Crown Estate selected nine areas (called ‘zones’) which are likely to be suitable for wind farms. These zones are located in areas as far north as the Moray Firth, Scotland, and as far south as the Dorset and Hampshire coasts.

These zones were then offered to offshore wind developers to investigate in more detail. The developers search for potential offshore wind farm locations within the zones, and design those projects. For each project, permission must be granted by the Government before it can be constructed. Some of the Round 3 zones are large enough to have several wind farms within them, while others will contain just one wind farm.

The government is committed to increasing the number of offshore wind farms located around Britain’s coastlines in order to help boost energy security, meet renewable energy targets, cut greenhouse gas emissions and grow an industry that could create many green jobs.

The zone approach gives developers flexibility in choosing the location of offshore wind farms within the zone, and this will help them to reduce negative environmental impacts of the projects. They might do this by avoiding the most sensitive areas or by designing their projects in such a way as to reduce negative impacts.

The process within Round 3 of identifying wind farm projects has two stages;

1. Definition of the Round 3 Zones;2. Identification of wind farm projects within zones.

1. Zones

2. Wind farms

stage one: definition of Round 3 Zones

The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) carried out by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in 2009 found that it is feasible to build offshore wind farms in UK waters up to 60m deep. The Crown Estate is the body with the rights to lease the seabed for offshore wind farm development, and had the role of identifying the areas most likely to be suitable for offshore wind farm development in line with government policy. These are the Round 3 zones.

The Crown Estate used its Geographic Information System to define the zones, based on a 3 stage approach:

1. Identify and rule out areas of seabed that fell within existing exclusion zones, such as those areas already licensed for another purpose (e.g. aggregate dredging).

2. Evaluate the remaining areas of seabed considering other potential restrictions and conflicts, such as the need for a good wind resource, the presence of nature conservation designations, Ministry of Defence practice areas and fishing interests. Each activity was weighted according to the potential constraint it could impose on the development of an offshore wind farm.

3. Check the areas left against a series of detailed datasets that included information on fish spawning areas, National Grid connections, Sensitive Bird Areas, and oil and gas licence blocks.

This process identified nine zones, seven within English and Welsh waters and two in Scottish waters. The Crown Estate then ran a competitive tender process to award the rights for developers to search for possible offshore wind farm projects within the zones. Nine offshore wind development companies / consortia were awarded these rights in January 2010. These companies can only construct offshore wind projects in the zones if they gain the necessary planning consent from the Government.

The Crown Estate has rights for leasing renewable energy projects within UK waters

stage 1: The Crown Estate identified 9 zones likely to be suitable for wind farms

stage 2: Wind development companies identify locations for wind farms within the zones

stage two: identification of Projects within ZonesIt is the developers’ role to identify where offshore wind farms can be built within their zones, taking into account technical and environmental issues present at the site. It is also their role to consult with stakeholders (including the public) regarding the potential impacts of their proposed wind farms. The developer has to submit a consent application for their wind farm project. The application will include details on project design and an Environmental Statement. The Environmental Statement describes the environmental surveys that were undertaken, makes an assessment of the impacts that will result from the wind farm, and states how the impacts will be reduced to acceptable levels. The application will also include evidence that the developer has undertaken detailed consultation with all relevant stakeholders on the project.

In England and Wales, the developer submits the application to the Planning Inspectorate. In Scotland the application is submitted to Marine Scotland. These organisations are responsible for considering the application and undertaking further consultation. They will then decide, based on all the evidence they have received, whether the submitted project is environmentally acceptable. They will make a recommendation to the relevant Government Ministers on whether to grant permission for the project or not.

The Crown Estate London16 New Burlington PlaceLondon W1S 2HXTel. 020 7851 5000

Edinburgh6 Bell’s BraeEdinburgh EH4 3BJTel. 0131 260 6070

www.thecrownestate.co.uk

To download the full report, visit: http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/r3-site-selection