bp and EnBW (Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg AG) are in the process of developing two offshore wind sites in the Irish Sea; Morgan and Mona. The wind farms are located approximately 20-30 km from the coast, with a combined area of approximately 800 km².
Challenge
Shipping and navigation issues are key considerations for both windfarm design development, optimisation and consent. The Irish Sea is an area of significant shipping activity with key routes and trade between busy ports in the UK, Ireland and globally.
Solution
To ensure safety and impact were considered throughout the project lifecycle, NASH Maritime initially advised the developer during The Crown Estate’s Offshore Wind Round 4 leasing process.
After achieving preferred bidder status, the lead consultant, RPS, contracted NASH Maritime. Joining the project team at the earliest stages means that maritime issues are considered from the start.
We’ve worked iteratively with the project development team in support to the early stage engineering design, including site boundary, layout refinement and optimisation.
To support the environmental impact assessment (EIA) we undertook marine vessel traffic surveys, real time bridge navigation simulation, navigation risk assessments and other supporting analysis and modelling. This included HAZID workshops, developing navigation risk models supported by geospatial toolkits for constraints analysis as well as stakeholder engagement.
We continue to work with the project team as the design develops and assessments are undertaken.
Consent applications are expected to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate Q1 2024.
