Abstract
Large-scale expansion of offshore wind capacity has a vital role to play in the global energy transition needed to avert the threat of runaway climate change. At the same time, it can and must contribute to halting and reversing biodiversity loss. This report examines key pathways for enabling the offshore wind sector to contribute to the global societal goal of a Nature-Positive future. This means offshore wind expansion that not only avoids harm to sensitive species and ecosystems but has a measurable positive impact on biodiversity.
Significant progress has already been made, through voluntary actions by developers, advances in research and innovation, and changes to the landscape of policy and regulatory frameworks that are critical to enabling progress at scale. However, gaps remain even in the most mature offshore wind markets, and there is a need for analysis focused on how to unlock the potential socio-economic benefits of Nature-Positive offshore wind in new and emerging markets.
This report highlights the need to mature best practice and develop standards for implementing biodiversity non-price criteria, in particular to overcome perceived tensions between cost and nature. It also calls for improved integration of biodiversity measures across the value chain of enabling infrastructure, especially offshore transmission and ports, underlining how regional or sea-basin approaches to planning could both reduce costs and enhance benefits to nature. Lastly, the report discusses the need to incorporate Nature-Positive considerations into plans for decommissioning wind farms at the end of their operational life.
With regard to non-price criteria, key recommendations for governments and regulators include:
• Require that new offshore infrastructure cause no net loss to biodiversity, an work towards requiring the delivery of net-positive impact.
• Advance implementation of biodiversity non-price criteria in all public infrastructure tenders and align this with ecosystems-based marine spatial planning (MSP) and streamlined permitting.
• Establish state-administered strategic funds to support coordinated action on conservation priorities.
• Work with stakeholders to share knowledge and experience and develop comprehensive best practice guidance.
Industry, civil society, technical experts and financial institutions need to play a role,too. Actions recommended for stakeholder collaboration include co-developing andadopting detailed best practice guidance that addresses key tensions identified,defining threshold conditions for use of biodiversity criteria in new and emergingmarkets, and mapping pathways towards them.
With regard to integrating Nature-Positive measures into offshore grids, key recommendations for policymakers and regulators include:
• Establish ecosystem-based strategic planning for offshore grid infrastructure to optimize for net-positive nature impacts as well as technical and economic efficiency.
• Collaborate regionally to identify offshore grid corridors and manage the impacts on the marine ecosystem.
• Mandate biodiversity criteria in auctions that target grid infrastructure impacts specifically and consider tenders for offshore grid infrastructure shared across projects and/or borders.
• Work with stakeholders to improve understanding of best practice and locally relevant nature-inclusive design measures and ensure that permitting frameworks allow their easy adoption.
Non-state stakeholders can support progress by strengthening cross-sector dialogue and cooperation to align technical, environmental and economic objectives, and by building additional evidence and capacity for nature-inclusive design in grid infrastructure, including guidance and training for both regulators and developers.
With regard to integrating Nature-Positive measures into port development, key recommendations for policymakers and regulators include:
• Clearly align port expansion strategies with offshore wind plans and existing environmental laws. Where these are lacking, introduce minimum biodiversity protection standards to guide development.
• Establish an ecosystem-based MSP approach that includes all port infrastructure, as well as related changes in vessel transit routes.
• Incentivize the use of nature-based solutions through public financing and procurement rules.
As first-generation offshore wind farms approach the end of their operational lives, there is growing discussion of how to decommission them in ways that uphold environmental integrity and social responsibility – and how to plan proactively for Nature-Positive decommissioning of new wind farms. Key recommendations for policymakers and regulators include:
• Incorporate decommissioning into MSP, to align with objectives for conservation, fisheries and the blue economy.
• Include non-price criteria for sustainable decommissioning in offshore wind
tenders.
• Create enabling regulatory and financial mechanisms to support Nature-Positive outcomes, with flexibility to adapt to shifting environmental conditions, and require transparent reporting and monitoring on decommissioning practices.
• Develop or adopt international decommissioning standards to prevent the export of environmental risk and invest in domestic recycling and processing capacity.
Overall, the literature review that this report is based on makes clear that huge progress has been made in finding ways for offshore wind to contribute to the urgent NaturePositive agenda. Many solutions are being developed and implemented, but key challenges remain. Through strong multi-stakeholder collaboration, offshore wind can become a model for all ocean sectors.