OCEaN publishes report on avoidance and minimisation of environmental impacts from offshore wind and grid infrastructure

The Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature (OCEaN) brings together non-governmental organisations (NGOs), transmission system operators (TSOs), and wind industry organisations from across Europe. Together we work towards a sustainable deployment of offshore energy and grid infrastructure while ensuring alignment with nature protection and healthy marine ecosystems. OCEaN focuses on nature-friendly offshore wind and grid deployment in the Baltic Sea and Northern Seas, including the Greater North Sea area and Celtic Seas.

In order to support the deployment of offshore wind and grid in a nature-friendly manner, the Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature (OCEaN) has identified 80 measures through which wind and grid developers can minimise potential environmental impacts on marine ecosystems. This work includes measures that reflect the first two steps of the mitigation hierarchy – avoidance and minimisation. This was done by combining the fragmented knowledge on available avoidance and minimisation measures for offshore wind and grid infrastructure, including the most recent, relevant, and available information, and finding common ground between the diverse stakeholders that make up OCEaN. Furthermore, ‘best practice’ measures were identified, which are implemented across multiple sites and are proven to effectively reduce negative environmental impacts.

The report can be viewed here.