EIA ASSESSMENTS UNDERWAY FOR MARRAMWIND OFFSHORE WIND FARM

The consenting process for the planned MarramWind offshore wind farm, of the Aberdeenshire coast, is underway.

MarramWind is a joint venture between ScottishPower and Shell. Located 75 km off the north-east coast of Scotland, it will be among the world's first large-scale commercial foating offshore wind farms, expected to generate up to 3 GW of renewable energy from around 200 floating turbines.

The project was announced following success in the recent Scot-Wind auction process run by Crown Estate Scotland, the first leasing round in Scottish waters for a decade.

On behalf of WSP, marine consultancy and survey company ABP-mer is supporting the project with key elements of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Marine ecologists in ABPmer's Environment team are undertaking a benthic characterization study, based on analysis of geophysical data acquired by the project. This will greatly enhance baseline understanding of the site and provide a robust basis for the assessment of potential impacts to benthic habitats.

Marine physical processes specialists at ABPmer will also be completing the geology, oceanography, and physical process element of the EIA, as part of the consenting process. The assessment will consider the likely significant effects on marine physical process receptors that may arise from the construction, operation and decommissioning of the project and will be supported by the use of ABPmer's SEASTATES validated hindcast metocean models.

MarramWind is expected to be operational by 2030.