Impact case study database

The renewable energy industry must grow to meet economy-wide net 0 CO₂ emissions goals and to reduce a critical driver of climate change. This led to the proposed installation of several thousand tidal and wind turbines throughout coastal areas of Europe and the U.S. However, significant concerns about the potential impacts of MRE developments on marine mammals raised issues about compliance with environmental legislation. Uncertainty about these impacts often led to highly precautionary conditions being applied when consenting developments which risked the financial viability of MRE projects and constrained efforts to meet CO₂ reduction and energy security targets. In response, SMRU developed an independent research programme on marine mammal biology to reduce uncertainty about the potential impacts of MRE developments on marine mammals. This has underpinned EIAs, saving the UK MRE industry approximately GBP4,800,000, and is providing governments with information required to consent MRE developments. The technology developed as part of the research has also progressed the tidal energy industry by enabling them to meet UK Government regulations. Together, these activities are enabling consent of offshore wind and tidal developments and providing economic benefit to the UK renewable energy industry.

Support governments in the UK, the Netherlands and the U.S. to critically assess the potential impacts of offshore wind farm

SMRU research has provided information on the effects of MRE that has been critical for consenting processes in the UK, the Netherlands and the US. The combination of marine mammal distribution maps ( R1), behavioural studies ( R3), and the development of analytical frameworks to predict population level effects of MRE developments ( R6) allowed Scottish Ministers to carry out robust assessments of the potential impacts of some of the largest offshore wind farms in the world (3.9GW, representing 13% of the global installed capacity) off the Scottish east coast. As the lead organisation in Scottish Government responsible for national marine planning, Marine Scotland (Policy and Planning) state that “ SMRU’s development of analytical frameworks to predict the population level effects of disturbance has provided the Scottish Government with the confidence to consent a number of offshore wind farms on the East Coast of Scotland” ( S1). Such is the importance of the SMRU research to the Scottish Government, the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon stated in September 2019 that SMRU research is “ hugely relevant to many of the biggest concerns facing our planet today” and that is why “ we directly support some of your research into issues such as … the impact on wildlife with offshore renewable energy” ( S2).

The outputs have also benefited UK statutory advisors with a duty to manage activities in the marine environment through improved advice and have allowed advisers to target conservation actions. Natural Resources Wales state that the research is “ playing an important part in the mitigation of global climate change in a manner that does not compromise the conservation of our valued marine mammal populations” ( S3); Natural England highlight that the research “ has provided a growing evidence base upon which to base assessments of projects and allow Natural England to provide scientifically robust, informed advice to the regulator” ( S4); and NatureScot (formerly Scottish Natural Heritage), as statutory advisors to the Scottish Government, state that the “ research into the interactions between marine mammals and offshore renewable energy developments has greatly informed our advice to the Scottish Ministers in relation to consenting of offshore renewable energy developments” ( S5).

Outside the UK, the research ( R6) has been used by the Dutch Government “ to calculate effects on the population of harbour porpoises and set provisions for the site decisions for the windfarms at sea” such that they “ can shape good site decisions for offshore wind farms” ( S6). Further, in response to a 2015 proposal by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to develop an EIA for commercial wind farm development off the east coast of the U.S., the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission specifically recommended that the SMRU research ( R2, R3) “ should be considered in BOEM’s environmental assessment” ( S7). BOEM now has 15 active commercial leases for offshore wind development that could support more than 21GW of generating capacity (enough to power approximately 15,000,000 homes).

Underpinned Environmental Impact Assessments which have saved the UK Marine Renewable Energy industry millions of GBP

SMRU research on marine mammal distributions around the UK has provided critical information required to deliver EIAs. Seal usage maps ( R1) are a key source of seal distributions at scales relevant to the impact footprint for MRE developments. Between August 2013 and August 2020, 12 UK offshore wind projects (representing 64% of projects and 76% of consented offshore wind energy capacity) and 7 UK tidal energy projects (representing 57% of projects and 99% of consented tidal energy capacity) used the outputs directly to make predictions of their developments’ impact during the EIA process ( S8). Collecting equivalent data and interpreting results at each of these sites individually would have imposed significant financial costs of approximately GBP4,800,000 to developers. The Marine Management Organisation (UK Government), in their role as regulators of marine activities in the seas around the UK, have incorporated the seal maps into their marine planning evidence base to inform several marine spatial plans and ensure developments at sea are appropriately sited ( S9).

Progressed the tidal energy industry by enabling them to meet UK Government regulations

Technology development by SMRU ( R5) has provided industry with tools to monitor potential impacts and provided UK regulators with the confidence to consent tidal turbine developments. In particular, the development and ground-truthing of acoustic technology provided the developer of the world’s largest commercial tidal turbine array (MeyGen) with the tools to track marine mammals around their operational tidal turbines ( R5) and meet their post consent monitoring conditions ( S10). As statutory advisors to the Scottish Government, Scottish Natural Heritage, state that the “ development of innovative monitoring tools to study marine mammals and their application at tidal energy sites are instrumental in allowing the tidal energy industry to progress” ( S5), and Natural Resources Wales highlight “ the development of innovative monitoring and mitigation techniques (e.g. Passive Acoustic and Active Sonar monitoring) for tidal energy” was “ essential to NRW’s advice and regulation of several Welsh renewable energy projects” ( S3). Further, the next phase of the MeyGen tidal project was consented in 2014 and is being installed at an estimated cost of GBP420,000,000; MeyGen state that “ without the work that SMRU have carried out in collaboration with the MeyGen project, we would be unlikely to be able to progress to this next phase” ( S10).

Economic benefit to the UK renewable energy industry

By enabling consent of offshore wind and tidal developments, the impacts of the SMRU research on the consenting of MRE developments has had a financial impact to the UK economy; the reliance on SMRU research to enable project consent and development has allowed the UK to maintain a dominant global position as the industry continues to grow at a rapid rate ( https://tinyurl.com/y7etqt78). Additionally, the UK economy has directly benefited from revenue generation and enhanced energy supply security, provided by a generation of indigenous electricity through MRE technologies. For example, in 2016, the renewable energy sector in Scotland had a turnover of approximately GBP5,900,000,000 and directly employed 16,000 people ( S11). Between August 2013 and August 2020, SMRU research has enabled regulatory consent decisions or has enabled compliance with post-consent monitoring requirements in 76% of offshore wind energy capacity consented in the UK ( S8); this represents a total of 17GW of potential energy generation (enough to power approximately 11 million homes) and a GVA amount of GBP31,000,000,000 ( S12). Similarly, the research has underpinned 99% of consented UK tidal energy capacity, representing 127MW of potential energy capacity ( S8). The MeyGen Project generated revenues of GBP4,100,000 through the direct sales of electricity (up to December 2019; S13).