Abstract
This Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Scoping Report has been prepared to support a request for a Scoping Opinion from Scottish Ministers in relation to the Westray Tidal Array, located in the Westray Firth, Orkney (hereafter ‘Westray’ or ‘the Project’). This Scoping Report represents the first key stage of the EIA.
As the Project will be a generating station of greater than 1 MW, it requires the following consent and licences for the offshore infrastructure:
- A Section 36 (S36) consent under the Electricity Act (1989, as amended); and
- A marine licence under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.
The overall objectives of the EIA for the Project are to avoid or minimise potential adverse effects, and to meet the requirements of the following EIA Regulations:
- The Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 as amended by The
Environmental Impact Assessment (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland); and - The Marine Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 (as amended)
(Scotland).
The Scoping Report provides information on the sources of data that have been or will be used for characterisation of the baseline environment (for this Scoping Assessment and subsequent EIA), potential impacts that will be considered as part of the EIA process, and the impact assessment methodology. Where additional information is required, a proposed strategy for obtaining that information has also been provided. Receptors and impacts have been scoped in or out on the basis of lessons learned from the EIAs of other offshore renewable energy projects, including tidal stream energy developments. This Scoping Report has been developed on behalf of Orbital Marine Power by Xodus, with contribution from Royal HaskoningDHV.