Abstract
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Commissioned by the Scottish Executive, this Environmental Report has been produced as part of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the development of wave and tidal stream devices (marine renewables) off the west and north coast of Scotland. This Environmental Report presents the findings of the SEA and provides recommendations for future monitoring.
In 2004 a report “Harnessing Scotland’s Marine Energy Potential” prepared by the Marine Energy Group (MEG) identified that up to 10% of Scotland’s electricity generation (about 1,300 megawatts, MW) could come from wave and tidal stream power by 2020. As such, this would contribute significantly to the Scottish Executive’s target of generating 40% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
The Scottish Executive commissioned this Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to examine the environmental effects of developing wave and tidal power and to use the results to inform the preparation and delivery of the Scottish Executive’s strategy for the development of marine energy.
In addition to informing the development of the Scottish Executive’s strategy for marine energy, the results of the SEA will also be used to inform the development of planning guidance for wave and tidal energy developers. The information collated during the SEA will be a reference source for use by regulatory authorities and key stakeholders to support decision-making at project-level on future marine renewable energy developments.
- Section A - Introduction and Background
- Section B - Marine Renewable: Technology and Resource
- Section C - Results of Level One Assessment
- Chapter 1 - Bathymetry
- Chapter 2 - Geology
- Chapter 3 - Marine and Coastal Processes
- Chapter 4 - Contamination and Water Quality
- Chapter 5 - Protected Sites and Species
- Chapter 6 - Benthic Ecology
- Chapter 7 - Fish and Shellfish
- Chapter 8 - Marine Birds
- Chapter 9 - Marine Mammals
- Chapter 10 - Commercial Fisheries and Mariculture
- Chapter 11 - Marine and Coastal Historic Environment
- Chapter 12 - Cables and Pipelines
- Chapter 13 - Military Exercise Areas
- Chapter 14 - Disposal Sites
- Chapter 15 - Shipping and Navigation
- Chapter 16 - Recreation and Tourism
- Chapter 17 - Noise
- Chapter 18 - EMF
- Chapter 19 - Landscape, Seascape and Appendices
- Chapter 20 - Onshore Grid Connection
- Chapter 21 - Decommissioning
- Section D - Results of Level Two Assessment: Assessment of Development Scenarios
- Section E - Conclusions and Recommendations