Abstract
This Scoping Report supports a request for a formal Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Scoping Opinion from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) (Offshore: below Mean High Water Springs (MHWS)) and Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC), and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) (Onshore: above Mean Low Water Springs (MLWS)), for the proposed Pembrokeshire Demonstration Zone (PDZ) (the ‘Project’). Celtic Sea Power Ltd. (CSP) (the Applicant) is the seabed lease holder of the PDZ, an area located approximately 15km offshore from the South Pembrokeshire coastline of Wales and comprising a 90km2 area leased from The Crown Estate for a period of 45 years.
The Project proposes the development of a Multi-connection Offshore Substations (MOS) within the offshore PDZ area. The MOS will provide a managed offshore grid connection point for independent renewables projects. The Project will comprise of the offshore MOS platform, export cables to landfall, and onshore export cables to a grid connection point. The MOS aims to be capable of accommodating approximately 400MW in a phased approach as the market matures. The key drivers for renewable energy in the UK and Wales are reducing greenhouse gas emissions, providing increased energy security, and maximising economic opportunities for the UK, regional, and local economies. The Project aligns closely with these aims. Enabling transmission infrastructure, such as the Project, constitutes a key step towards unlocking the potential of the Celtic Sea for future renewable energy developments and will play a key role in the realisation of the Crown Estate’s ongoing area refinement and future seabed leasing process for up to 4GW of commercial scale floating offshore windfarms in the Celtic Sea region by 2035.
By providing a managed offshore grid connection point for future independent offshore marine renewables projects (including floating offshore wind (FOW) and tidal installations) the Project will:
- Remove the need for each future project to secure and construct its own individual route to onshore grid connection, thereby reducing the Levelised Cost of Energy for future projects
- Reduce cumulative environmental impacts and delays, by removing the need to consent, and construct, multiple individual landfalls, and onshore cable infrastructure. This has increased importance in the Pembrokeshire area, which contains numerous areas of ecological and conservation value and a wide range of protected sites.
- Provide a strong and strategic locational signal for developers to locate projects near relevant Welsh port infrastructure.
This Scoping Report considers offshore infrastructure seaward of MHWS, and onshore infrastructure landward of MLWS notably:
- MOS platform, including above- and below-surface infrastructure
- Subsea export cable route to landfall
- Landfall options
- Onshore export cable route
- Onshore substation
The consents, licences and permissions which will be sought by the Applicant for the PDZ are:
- A Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) under the Transport and Works Act 1992 (only relevant if the PDZ is deemed to interfere with rights of navigation in waters up to the limits of the Welsh territorial sea)
- A Marine Licence under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009
- Planning Permission under the Town and County Planning Act 1990
- Section 37 Consent under Electricity Act 1989 to install and keep installed electric lines above ground, with a nominal voltage of less than 132 Kv (only if overhead lines are used, preference is to bury onshore export cables).
An Environmental Statement (ES) is required support to the applications for these consents, licences and permissions. The ES will be informed by the Scoping Opinion on this Scoping Report. This Scoping Report identifies potentially significant environmental effects that will considered for further assessment in the ES. The report provides an overview of the existing physical, biological and human environment, identified by known and accessible data sources, and outlines survey plans to obtain additional data where needed. An overview of potential effects associated with the construction, operation & maintenance, and decommissioning phases of the PDZ is provided. This Scoping Report also outlines the proposed methods for assessment of the significance of effect on technical topics. The following technical topics have been considered:
Physical Environment
Marine Coastal Processes
Marine Sediment and Water Quality
Onshore Geology, Geomorphology and Soils
Onshore Groundwater and Hydrology
Water Framework Directive
Biological Environment
Designated Sites
Benthic Subtidal and Intertidal Ecology
Fish and Shellfish Ecology
Marine Mammals and Reptile Ecology
Terrestrial Ecology
Ornithology
Human Environment
Commercial Fisheries
Shipping and Navigation
Coastal and Marine Infrastructure and Other Users
Aviation and Radar
Archaeology and Cultural Heritage
Land Use
Traffic and Transport
Landscape, Seascape and Visual Impacts
Underwater Noise and Vibration
Onshore Noise and Vibration
Air Quality
Tourism and Recreation
Socio-economics