Abstract
Belwind has taken the initiative to build an offshore wind farm in the North Sea, to be located on the Bligh Bank. The completion of this wind farm will help to achieve the objective of the authorities as regards renewable energy (6% by 2010). Before construction can begin, a licence must be applied for. To assist with the decision-making process concerning the licence application, the procedure for an environmental impact report together with an environmental impact assessment will be followed.
In order for the environmental interests to be taken fully into account in the licence granting, an environmental impact report (EIR) must be drawn up. This EIR will be used to underpin the consents process and must describe the construction, exploitation, dismantling as well as the cable installation.
In this EIR the environmental impact of the basic version (a wind farm with a total of 66 turbines generating 5 MW each) will be discussed throughout the chapters and compared, where relevant, with the alternative scenario of a wind farm with 110 turbines of 3 MW each.
In a separate chapter the cumulative impact of three current wind farm projects in the Belgian North Sea will be discussed.