Seagreen Wind Energy Ltd has requested a scoping opinion from Marine Scotland Licensing Operations Team, on behalf of Scottish Ministers, for the proposed 1.05GW Seagreen Phase 1 wind farm project.
This scoping request, submitted mid-May, was accompanied by a scoping report which identifies the potentially significant impacts associated with the proposed development during construction, operation and decommissioning.
The scoping report details the proposed scope for the environmental impact assessment(EIA) and eventual production of an environmental statement (ES) to accompany consents applications for the development.
The scoping report also identifies key design changes associated with the proposed development over the previous consent applications and considers the implications of these changes in terms of environmental impacts.
Through submitting the scoping request, Seagreen is seeking to use of the advances in wind turbine technology and design since the original consent application was submitted.
The prospective development would be located within the same area as that considered in the 2012 EIA for the Seagreen Alpha and Seagreen Bravo sites.
The Scoping Report also marks the beginning of consultation with stakeholders and consultees to commence discussion of the survey methodologies to inform the EIA.
Seagreen Wind Energy Limited, a joint venture partnership between SSE and Fluor, was awarded by The Crown Estate the exclusive development rights for the Firth of Forth Zone of the UK’s Round 3 offshore wind farm development programme.
The zone is located approximately 25km east of Fife and covers an area of 2,852km2.
The project is being developed in two phases, with the 1.05GW Phase 1 in the northern area of the zone being developed first, followed by the 1.4GW Phase 2 in the south eastern area.
In October 2014, following submission of an Environmental Statement and further consultation with the relevant statutory bodies to complete the Habitats Regulations Assessment process, Seagreen Wind Energy Ltd received consent for Phase 1 of the development from Scottish Ministers for two offshore wind farms, Seagreen Alpha and Seagreen Bravo. These projects each have a capacity of 525MW.