Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of consented offshore wind on seabirds, marine mammals and other coastal wildlife.

Consent is required from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to construct, extend or operate any offshore generating stations with a generating capacity of between 1 and 100 megawatts (MW). Stations which would generate more than 100MW are classed as nationally significant infrastructure projects and require a development consent order granted by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Some electricity generating works may be subject to regulation under the Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 (as amended) and require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be submitted to the MMO alongside the main application. EIAs are required to include a description of the likely significant effects of the development on the environment, including any effects on seabirds, marine mammals and other coastal wildlife.

In addition, offshore wind farms are required to have pre and post consent monitoring plans which are managed by the MMO. For example, a Marine Mammal Mitigation Plan (MMMP) lists the appropriate mitigation measures that should be utilised during offshore activities that are likely to produce underwater noise and vibration levels capable of potentially causing injury and disturbance to marine mammals.

Any environmental assessment, including EIAs and MMMPs, submitted as part of any application are available online via the Planning Inspectorate’s national register of applications and the MMO’s public register.