Abstract
Neart na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Limited (NnGOWL) has been awarded exclusive rights for the development of the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm. The proposed development will be located within the outer Forth Estuary some 15.5 km east of Fife Ness and 30 km north of Torness and will cover 105 km2. It is likely to consist of 75 turbines, each having a capacity of 6 MW, giving a total installed capacity of 450 MW. Associated cable route options include a 54 km to the south west making landfall at Cockenzie further up the Forth Estuary, and the Torness Cable route, which incorporates two choices for connections at either Skateraw or Thorntonloch, and runs more or less south of the site for 32 km. Figure 1.1 shows the location of the proposed offshore wind farm site and cable possible routes. Details regarding the need for the development together with the site selection process have been presented within the scoping report. This proposed development is now undergoing rigorous environmental and technical assessment prior to making any application for consent. The final consent application requires a supporting Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) presenting, amongst other issues, detailed appraisals of the potential effects of the construction and operation of the development on benthic habitats and species within the turbine array, along the cable route options and at the different cable landfall sites currently under consideration. Emu Ltd was commissioned to undertake a series of benthic ecology sampling surveys of the turbine array site, the cable route options and associated intertidal areas where the cables are proposed to make landfall for the purposes of collecting physical, chemical and biological data suitable for informing an EIA and development of an Environmental Statement. This document presents the survey methods used, the data collected and gives a characterisation of the intertidal and subtidal environment within and around the proposed development in terms of the habitats available and associated biological communities. The data derived from these surveys will be used to underpin the EIA with respect to predicted effects of the construction and operation of the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm on the local seabed ecology. In particular, the data will highlight potential ecological sensitivities and assist in the development of mitigation measures where appropriate.