Abstract
The development of wave energy conversion has reached the pre-commercialization stage; with many developers ready for full-scale grid-connected deployment. In many cases developers are required to produce an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be granted permission for development of a site. This paper examines the differences and commonalities between EIA studies from the well-developed offshore wind (OW) industry and the less-developed wave energy sector, to highlight lessons learnt for OW that can be applied to wave energy developments.