Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department's proposed aviation strategy will include the potential effect of the operation of radar on the implementation of the offshore wind sector deal.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The offshore wind sector is economically beneficial for the UK. From 2010 the offshore wind’s share of annual UK generation increased over 5% to 6.2% in 2017, with costs falling faster than could have been envisaged 10 years ago. The Offshore Wind Sector deal could deliver up to 30GW by 2030 and the Government has committed to work across Government, including aviation, to ensure this is achieved in a sustainable way taking account of users of the sea, aviation and Ministry of Defence.
Although wind turbines can impact the effectiveness of radar systems, it is essential that aviation continues to benefit from a high standard of safety, and therefore ongoing cooperation between Government and the windfarm industry will continue to play a key role in ensuring that this remains the case.
Government policy in regard to funding mitigations of wind impacts on radar is that mitigation costs are recovered from those windfarm developers who stand to benefit commercially. Therefore, the wind sector deal is currently dealt with separately from the upcoming aviation strategy.
An Aviation Management Board, in which the Government and relevant bodies such as National Air Traffic Service and the Civil Aviation Authority participate, has been established for the Government to work jointly with both the windfarm industry and the aviation sector to find a solution which meets the needs of both industries and ensures a safe airspace. This will ensure cross-government coordination on radar and aviation policy matters.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Government's offshore wind sector deal, published in March 2019, whether his Department has allocated funding to help the renewable energy sector mitigate the effect of aviation radar on the development of offshore wind sites.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The current Government policy in regard to funding mitigations of wind impacts on radar is that mitigation costs are recovered from those windfarm developers who stand to benefit commercially.
An Aviation Management Board, in which the Government and relevant bodies such as NATS and the CAA participate, has been established for the Government to work jointly with both the windfarm industry and the aviation sector to find a solution which meets the needs of both industries and ensures a safe airspace. This will ensure cross-government coordination on radar and aviation policy matters.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has issued strategic guidance to (a) NATS and (b) the Civil Aviation Authority on the future procurement of aviation radar systems in relation to the effect of those systems on the deployment of new (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind sites.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Offshore Wind Sector Deal published by Government in March this year envisages up to 30GW of offshore wind deployment by 2030. An Aviation Management Board, in which the Department and relevant bodies such as NATS and CAA participate, has been established for the Government to work jointly with both the windfarm industry and aviation sector to find a solution which meets the needs of both industries and secures a safe airspace. This will ensure cross-government coordination on radar and aviation policy matters. The Department will take account of the outputs of this work in developing aviation policy.