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Investigatesoffshore windGovernment to choose future offshore wind farm locations to 'protect biodiversity'
Some locals are concerned about developments off their coast damaging sandbanks and impacting coastal erosion.
OFFSHORE WIND FARM locations are to be chosen by the government in the future to protect biodiversity.
Fixed-bottom wind farms need to be built in shallower waters, which has worried some locals about the impact on the coast and biodiversity.
When choosing new locations, the government will “ensure that development takes place with full consideration for the protection of [the] marine environment and biodiversity”.
A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment told us that “all offshore wind projects are required to give careful consideration to the impact of a development on seascape and landscape”.
This change was included in a policy paper in 2023 before all six of the offshore wind farms currently in different stages of development were proposed. The locations for those were chosen by the developers.
The Journal Investigates recently examined who controls this lucrative natural resource and showed how little involvement Ireland actually has at an official level in the projects.
Just two Irish companies hold a significant stake in the six projects currently in the pipeline off our coast.
A large 56-turbine wind farm on the Arklow Bank off Co Wicklow is one such project with no Irish investor.
This plans to generate 800 MW of electricity and is being developed by Scottish energy company SSE plc. That is likely enough to power all the homes in Co Dublin.
The South East Coastal Protection Alliance (SECPA) is arguing that the wind farm will damage the Arklow sandbank, leading to increased coastal erosion as a result of a change to the strong tidal forces.
“It’s going to be devastating to the coastline should the next wind farm go ahead where it’s being proposed,” Michael Higgins, chair of SECPA, told The Journal Investigates.
They are not opposed to renewable energy but want the development to be located further out to sea.
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Fears over coastal ecosystem being disturbed
SECPA claims that by moving the wind farm further out to sea, the sandbank and the marine life it supports will be protected.
The group is also part of a wider alliance of other campaign groups under the umbrella of Blue Ireland. This organisation is seeking to prevent offshore wind farms from being situated in what they call “environmentally inappropriate locations”.
The problem with these locations is that “near-shore habitats are extremely biodiverse, and therefore very important for biodiversity”, Valerie Freeman, Blue Ireland’s founder told us.
“By disturbing these ecosystems, they are going to decimate the coastline,” she said.
As part of the planning process for phase two of the Arklow Bank, SSE submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) which found that the impact on the seabed and coastal morphology was “not significant/slight”.
A spokesperson for SSE said that “the EIAR provides an accurate description of the project and a scientific, fact-based assessment of potential environmental impacts of the development”.
When asked about developments near to the coast, a Department of the Environment spokesperson said that “as you move out from shore, Ireland’s seabed depth increases very quickly and is not suitable for fixed-bottom turbines”.
The Journal Investigates
We recently investigated who controls Ireland’s offshore wind. Spoiler: It’s not Irish companies. Read our findings >>
Reporter: Conor O’Carroll • Editor: Maria Delaney • Main Image Design: Lorcan O’Reilly
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