OES-Environmental distributes metadata forms (questionnaires) to solicit information from developers involved in environmental monitoring around marine renewable energy project sites around the world. This page provides project descriptions, baseline assessment, post-installation monitoring, and links to available data and reports. Content is updated on an annual basis.

South Pembrokeshire Demonstration Zone

Description

The purpose of the Pembrokeshire Demonstration Zone is to enable offshore renewable energy infrastructure to improve and catalyse the Celtic Sea floating offshore wind and other marine energy opportunities. It is part of the Pembroke Dock Marine programme and aims to demonstrate wave, tidal energy, and floating wind energy technologies.  

As part of the demonstration zone a 400 MW multi-connection offshore substation (Test and Demonstration phase 4 x 100MW) will be created to enable a grid connection point for independent renewable projects. The four 100 MW projects will independently be connected to Pembroke Substation and Yelland.  The project will aim to reduce the cost of energy as well as any cumulative environmental impacts.
 

Location

A 90km2 area located 15 km offshore from the South Pembrokeshire coastline of Wales.

Licensing Information

The lease holder Celtic Power Ltd. is leasing the site for a period of 45 years. Other organisations involved include Port of Milford Haven, Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, and Marine Energy Wales.

Licensing which will need to be sought through by developer are:

  • A transport and Works Order under the Transport and Works Act 1992
  • A Marine Licence under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009
  • Planning Permission under the Town and County Planning Act 1990
  • Section 37 Consent under Electricity Act 1989 to install and keep installed electric lines above ground, with a nominal voltage of less than 132 Kv
     

Project Progress

  • 2014: the lease for the Pembrokeshire Demonstration Zone was awarded 
  • 2023: submission of the environmental scoping report for Demonstration Zone
  • 2023: screening and scoping opinion declared a need for an Environmental Impact Assessment due to its close proximity to protected sites and the scale of the project
     

Key Environmental Issues

Pembrokeshire is an important area of ecological and conservation value. Within the Pembrokeshire Demonstration Zone Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report, key potential environmental issues that will be considered in the EIA include: changes to the coastal processes, deterioration in water quality, physical disturbances of geological features, physical disturbance and habitat loss, increase in underwater noise, collision risks and physical disturbance from vessels.  

Potential Annex 1 habitats in the area include:

  • Reefs
    • Sabellaria spp. reefs
    • Mytilus edulis and/or Musculus discors mussel beds
  • Sandbanks
    • Gravelly and clean sands
    • Muddy sands
    • Eelgrass beds
    • Maerl beds
  • Saltmarsh
  • Intertidal mudflats 
  • Submerged or partially submerged sea caves.

Potential species within the area include:

  • Migratory fish species: allis shad (Alosa alosa), twaite shad (Alosa fallax), sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), river lamprey (Lamptera fluviatilis), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), and European common eel (Anguilla anguilla);
  • Demersal fish species: Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), common skate (Dipturus batis), spotted ray (Raja montagui), thornback ray (Raja clavate), angler fish (Lophius piscatorius), plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), sole (Solea solea), bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), European hake (Merluccius merluccius), and Lemon sole (Microstomus kitt);
  • Benthopelagic fish species: tope (Galeorhinus galeus), ling (Molva molva), whiting (Merlangius merlangus), and sandeel (Ammodytes spp.);
  • Pelagic fish species: horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus), Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), and Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus);
  • Mollusca: Icelandic cyprine (Arctica islandica)
  • Crustacea: European spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas)
  • Cetaceans: harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), humpback whale (Megaptera novaengliae), and fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus);
  • Pinnipeds: grey seal (Halichoerus grypus);
  • Marine reptiles: leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea); and
  • Ornithology: Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus), European storm-petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus), guillemot (Uria aalge), razorbill (Alca torda), gannet (Morus sp.), Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica), lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus), fulmar (Fulmarus sp.), herring gull (Larus argentatus), and greater black-backed gull (Larus marinus).

Within the Scoping Report, several methods were described to survey the project area. These include Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs) surveys, grab samples collection, drop down camera surveys and diver surveys. These methods will help with project design activities such as micro-siting, identifying potential obstacles, assessing seafloor conditions and providing information to inform the EIA, e.g., by identifying any sensitive habitats or protected areas.

Papers, Reports, Research Studies

Pembrokeshire Demonstration Zone Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report - prepared to support a request for a Scoping Opinion from Welsh Ministers, which will inform the next stage of the Environmental impact assessment.