Natural Power Collaborate to Form New Framework for Consenting Offshore Wind Farms in Scotland
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Natural Power collaborate to form new framework for consenting Offshore Wind Farms in Scotland
International renewable energy consultancy Natural Power has collaborated with academia to develop a new framework to inform the impact assessment and consenting of Offshore Wind Farms in Scotland.Â
With over a decade of Planning and Development experience, Natural Power’s principal consultant Nancy McLean has been actively involved in a collaboration which has published a novel framework to enable impact assessments of underwater piling noise. Within Natural Power Nancy specialises in consent management, working with her team to deliver Environmental Impact Assessments.
Nancy was one of five renewable energy, underwater noise and marine mammal experts to work on the paper, which was published earlier this month. Working on behalf of Moray Renewables Offshore Ltd, Nancy worked with experts from Aberdeen University and St Andrews Sea Marine Mammal Research Unit (SMRU Ltd) to produce a robust framework for the quantification and assessment of potential impacts of offshore wind farm construction noise.
The resulting assessment methodology has been built utilising Aberdeen University and SMRU Ltd’s knowledge and research on population parameters and distributions of marine mammals in the Moray Firth, and Natural Power’s knowledge of the consenting requirement for Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Habitat Regulations Appraisals (HRA).Â
The development of this methodology required extensive consultations with Marine Scotland, its advisors and stakeholder to ensure acceptance for the framework’s use to inform the EIA and HRA processes. It will enable Marine Scotland to make informed consenting decisions on the grounds of potential marine mammal impacts from offshore developments within the Moray Firth.
Further consultation with other developers has also resulted in adoption of the framework in other Scottish offshore wind EIA and HRAs, highlighting its value to the offshore wind industry in Scotland.
The framework can be read in full here -Â http://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S0195925513000735
Natural Power offer full project lifecycle consultancy across a range of renewable energy sectors. The team have successfully consented 1GW onshore and 1.2GW offshore for their clients.
For more information sayhello@naturalpower.com or visit http://www.naturalpower.com/
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Contact details:
Sarah Brady
Events PR Officer
Natural Power
sayhello@naturalpower.com
Notes for Editors:
Natural Power is a leading independent renewable energy consultancy and products provider. The company offer proactive and integrated consultancy, management & due diligence services, backed by an innovative product range, across the onshore wind, offshore wind, wave, tidal, biomass, pv and hydro sectors, whilst maintaining a strong outlook on other new and emerging renewable energy sectors. Established in the mid 1990s Natural Power has been at the heart of many groundbreaking projects, products and portfolios for more than two decades, assisting project developers, investors, manufacturers, research houses and other consulting companies. With its iconic Scottish headquarters, The Green House, Natural Power has expanded internationally and now employs over 270 renewable energy experts across Europe and North America with further representation through South American consultancy Latwind EnergÃas Renovables and Turkish renewables consultancy re-consult. Providing Planning & Development, Ecology & Hydrology, Technical, Construction & Geotechnical, Asset Management and Due Diligence services, Natural Power is uniquely a full lifecycle consultancy – from feasibility to finance to repowering, and every project phase in between. Natural Power has consistently invested in product development and technical research in order to progress certain key areas within the industry such as the operational management of wind farms, the design and assessment of wind farms in complex flow and the use of remote sensing for wind measurement.
From award winning consultancy and management services, through a string of technology world-firsts, Natural Power has a successful track record and the breadth of services and deep-rooted experience that provides a wealth of added value for our diverse client base.
Natural Power – the international turn to experts in renewable energy.
