Title
Environmental licensing for offshore wind farms: Guidelines and policy implications for new markets
Date Issued
01 December 2022
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Universidad Federal de Río Grande del Norte
Publisher(s)
Elsevier Ltd
Abstract
Offshore wind energy is a key driver of the global energy transition towards climate change. The regulatory framework in environmental licensing for renewable energy sources is specific for each country, however there are basic elements that can be replicated for new markets. This article aims to propose guidelines and policy implications in environmental licensing for offshore wind projects for new markets based on the state of the art and lessons learned from three mature countries and one emerging market. The research involved three phases: literature review on sustainable development and environmental licensing procedures for offshore wind farms; research cases in the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, and Taiwan; and the structuring of guidelines and policy implications. As a result, eight guidelines and their policy implications are proposed, among them: (i) Establishment of a national offshore wind energy production target; (ii) Mapping of marine offshore wind zones; (iii) Adoption of a “one-stop-shop” procedure; (iv) Development of a guide for environmental licensing for offshore wind farms; and others. In conclusion, the establishment of a regulatory framework in environmental licensing for offshore wind projects, based on sustainable development principles and good practices of leading markets, guides public policies of new markets to have a greater probability of sustainable development.
Volume
171
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ingeniería eléctrica, Ingeniería electrónica
Ingeniería mecánica
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85138666152
Source
Energy Policy
ISSN of the container
03014215
Source funding
Marine Management Organisation
Sponsor(s)
This section describes the environmental licensing procedures of offshore wind projects regarding UK, Germany, Denmark, and Taiwan. It includes a description of the OWP scenario and the environmental licensing procedures adopted by each country. The information presented in this section served as the base of the comparative analysis between the cases. Furthermore, it supported the identification of similarities and differences among their procedures which were used in the construction of the proposed guidelines, and policy implications of this study.In England and Wales, any offshore energy project between 1 and 100MW is consented by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). Projects over 100MW are classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) and are processed by the Planning Inspectorate for England and Wales (PINS) (WWEA - World Wind Energy Association, 2018; White & Case, 2019). They also require a Development Consent Order (DCO) granted by the Secretary of State and a marine license from MMO (UK, 2014).For large offshore wind projects, an EIA is required, unless the relevant authority grants an exemption. An EIA assesses all potential environmental impacts of a project during construction, operation and decommissioning, and any associated mitigation measures. Consultation bodies, members of the public and interested third parties have the right to submit representations about any potential environmental impacts, which the planning authority must consider. The developer must also undertake a Seascape and Visual Impact Assessment (SVIA) as part of the EIA process to identify a site location with the least adverse visual impacts (White & Case, 2019).There are two different procedures for obtaining permits for OWP: tendering and the open-door. The interested company will use the DEA as a single-point-of-contact for assistance on issues related to licenses and procedures all the way through to end-of-life and decommissioning of the wind farm (DEA - Danish Energy Authority, 2019). The DEA must grant three key permits for offshore wind farms, under the RE Act: 1) License to preliminary investigation, 2) License to construct and 3) License or authorization to produce energy (DEA, 2017, 2020a).In the open-door procedure (Fig. 7), the developer applies for a license to carry out preliminary investigations in a location of his choice. Then, DEA consults other government bodies to clarify whether there are other major public interests that could block the implementation of the project. In the event of a positive decision, DEA determines what the EIA should include. Once the DEA has received the EIA together with a final application to establish the offshore wind farm, it goes on public consult. If the DEA does not receive any objections, it grants a license to construct the offshore wind farm. Finally, the project developer must apply for a license to exploit wind power and, in the case of wind farms of more than 25 MW, an authorization to produce electricity (DEA - Danish Energy Authority, 2017; 2020b; Nielsen and Hemmer, 2018).The EPA is responsible for the environmental standards and the coordination of actions among the various other governmental agencies. The Environmental Impact Assessment Act is administered by the EPA with support from the MOEA and in consultation with other relevant government agencies, non-governmental groups, scholars, experts, and representatives of local residents (Jones Day, 2018).Our acknowledgment to: 1) partnership between Petrobras and Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) and received financial support of the R&D – Electric Sector of ANEEL (PD-00553-0045/2016), 2) Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Brazil (MCTI), TED N°. 14/2019; 3) Mrs. Roberta Cox by the critical review, and 4) Mrs. Theresa O'Brien de Brito by English language review.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus