Abstract
This Scoping Report has been produced at an early stage of the project development, and constitutes the request for a scoping opinion on the studies and methodologies required to obtain consent under Section 20 (1) of the Marine Scotland Act (2010) Scotland and Section 36 (Electricity Act) for the development of the demonstrator Kincardine Offshore Windfarm. The report aims to introduce the Kincardine Offshore Windfarm project and is intended to seek views of stakeholders and others on the objectives and potential outcomes of the project. The report also aims to demonstrate the main approaches to assessing any potential environmental impacts which might occur as a result of the construction, operation and eventual decommissioning of the Kincardine Offshore Windfarm. At this early stage, some of the detailed data gathering and analysis methodologies are still to be agreed with licensing agencies including SNH and Marine Scotland; however the development consortium has engaged with these agencies to ensure that best practice guidelines are implemented during the EIA process, whilst remaining mindful of the scale of the development.
The report will identify the main considerations that will be addressed during the EIA and aims to outline a structure for consultation on the approach to the EIA and the content of the Environmental Statement that will be produced to accompany the planning application. The report provides details of the key issues anticipated and outlines methodologies for the various technical assessments; however, it is acknowledged that the scope of the EIA may change as the project progresses and more information is accumulated and analysed. The development consortium will continue to review the EIA process in consultation with the key licensing agencies in the light of new information either gathered by the consortium or submitted by stakeholders.