Abstract
The Proposed Development
In February 2007, Ormonde Energy Limited (OEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Vattenfall UK plc, was granted consent from the Secretary of State to develop the Ormonde offshore wind farm project (Ormonde OWF). The Ormonde OWF is located approximately 10 kilometres west of the nearest coastline at Walney Island, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria in approximately 20 metres of water (Figure 1.1).
The Ormonde OWF project has consent to construct up to 30 turbines, each of a maximum capacity of 5MW, thus yielding a total potential capacity of 150MW. The project has achieved all the consents necessary for its construction and operation, including:
- Electricity Act 1989 (Section 36) (includes Deemed Planning Permission under Section 90 of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1990): Consent. Dated 4th September 2008;
- Food and Environmental Protection Act 1985 (as Amended) (FEPA): Consent Number 32987/07/0; Dated 8th Feb, 2007;
- Coast Protection Act 1949 (Section 34): Consent Number 32987/07/0 CON; Dated 8thJan 2007.
The proposed offshore project elements comprise:
- 124 foundation piles for turbine and substation platform foundation jackets;
- 31 quadropod foundation jackets;
- 30 5MW turbines;
- the offshore substation platform;
- the inter array cables, and;
- the export cable from the substation platform to the beach at Half Moon Bay at Heysham, Lancashire.
Project Consent
The Ormonde Project was awarded its original FEPA consent in February 2007. Since that date there have been three main amendments to the FEPA Licence (Table 1.1).
Environmental Monitoring Plan
The consent issued for the Ormonde project includes conditions related to environmental monitoring. The consent also includes a requirement for the Licence Holder to issue a proposal for the specification of the pre-construction (baseline) monitoring to the Licensing Authority, for agreement in consultation with CEFAS and Natural England, four months prior to the commencement of the monitoring works. In order to collate all of the proposed environmental monitoring specifications (Pre, during and post construction) into a single document, it was decided to produce a Project Environmental Monitoring Plan. The process involved in the preparation of this plan is set out in Table 1.2.
Objectives of this report
The consent issued for the Ormonde project includes conditions related to reporting. Relevant reporting conditions are detailed in Table 1.3 below.
This document represents the 2010 construction monitoring report for the Ormonde project (i.e. the first year of a 2 year construction programme) . The document contains summaries of the results and conclusions from the following construction surveys / studies undertaken, namely:
- Sediment monitoring survey during piling activities;
- Underwater noise monitoring survey during piling activities;
- Marine mammal observation and passive acoustic monitoring during piling activities;
- Boat based bird surveys (undertaken in co-operation with DONG Energy);
- Aerial Bird Surveys (undertaken in co-operation with DONG Energy);
- Autumnal Migrations Landing Survey (Weekly counts of whooper swan and pink footed geese at Martin Mere, Lancashire;
- Archaeological Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) requirements, including:
- Archaeological Communication Plan;
- Archaeological Inter-tidal Walkover Survey;
- Archaeological Watching Brief along route of Onshore Cable Connection at Heysham.
Full reports of the surveys / studies are provided at the end of this report in the relevant Appendices (at end of report in attachment).