Environmental impact - Research Paper Example

? Environmental Impact of the project: In 2006, the Department of Trade and Industry highlighted thefact that in next 20 years, up to third of the UK’s oil and gas generating capacity will be exhausted. Renewable energy has always been part of the United Kingdom’s plan of reducing carbon dioxide omissions and also bridging the gap caused by aging nuclear power plants and dying fossil fuel. The plan also includes reducing UK’s dependencies on imported energy sources (AMEC, 2012). The only way to address the issue was to increase the proportion of electricity generated from renewable resources such as wind, marine etc. A number of wind farm projects were put into consideration. One of which was the Beatrice Wind Farm project located at 25km off the east coast of Scotland. The project, which is a joint venture between Talisman Energy and Scottish and Southern Energy, consisted of two wind turbines designed to examine the possibility of creating a commercially large scale wind farm capable of generating large amount of energy. The two wind turbines, which are prototypes of the actual wind farm, are capable of generating 5MW of energy each going in water as deep as 45 meters. The cost of this demonstrator project is estimated to be around 41 million Euros. The actual development however will cover an approximate area of 132km2 and will be consisting of 184 turbines in total with the capacity of generating 920MW of energy. The project began in 2007 and was proposed to last 5 years in which these two prototype wind turbines were to be assessed. The construction will begin in 2014 and the farm will be fully operational by 2017. Figure 2) Beatrice wind turbine project showing the two demonstrator turbines (Retrieved from: http://www.beatricewind.co.uk/home/default.asp) The two demonstrator wind turbines, which are positioned 500m across each other, were given a run of 5 years by the authorities to merely asses the ‘goods and the bads’ of the whole project. Its primary purpose was to better understand the impact of deepwater wind farms on the surrounding environment. Although there have been several wind farms already in operation on in UK and Scotland producing around 5 gigwatts GW of energy, a project of this magnitude require some assessment in the beginning. Since the projected area is also home to a number of different species of fish and seals, it is only appropriate to first asses its impact for a certain period of time and then draw any conclusions. Not only that, since it is the first deepwater wind farm project in the world, it adds an extra attention globally. The demonstrator project therefore plays a crucial role in determining whether the large scale farm is effective both in terms of generating energy and its overall cost. During any environmental assessment, the most important part of the process is the scoping process. It is in this stage of the project the key environmental issues are identified. It not only helps pinpointing the problem early in the stage but also allows mitigation design changes to be made. It is during this stage that a project is either continued with or is cancelled keeping in mind its environmental impacts. The scoping exercise of Beatrice wind farm project for this report is based on network diagram technique and the results can be found in the following table: Scoping Exercise to determine the main impacts: Potential Impacts Explanation Mitigation Effect on fish Electric field generated from the turbines my affect breeding or feeding abilities 1) Electric cables would be buried underground to minimize the effect. 2) Special insulation might be used on the cables to absorb electric fields. Interaction with birds Might cause disturbance in their migration. It may also affect their breeding and feeding behavior. 1) Careful selection of wind turbine blades. 2) Monitoring of bird movement in the area of the field through radar. Creation of underwater noise May interrupt marine mammal behavior 1) Selection of efficient turbines 2) Regular maintenance of turbines. Impact on landscape and seascape Wind turbine generating units may create visual impact on surrounding area and may disturb the overall landscape. Suitable selection of colors and wind turbine blades to minimize visual impact when viewed from land Potential collision risk for shipping The presence of these two turbines may pose an additional risk to shipping in the area. The turbine units will be having navigational lights and will be visible on ships’ radars Telecommunication and aviation Presence of wind turbine units may interfere with navigational aid, radar and telecommunications Discussions with the operators/owners to operate in such a way to minimize risk of hindering from the wind turbine units. Erosion of sediments underwater Sediments around the base of wind turbine units may be eroded due to water currents. Concrete mattresses may be placed around the base to support the structure Interaction with commercial fishing operations The presence of two wind turbine units may interfere in the fishing operations of fishermen and may disrupt their fishing routine All the material and the components will be removed if the demonstrator project fails. Table 1: Scoping exercise describing the potential impacts, their explanation and possible mitigation procedures Environmental parameter having a significant impact: Impact on Marine Life: One of the primary concerns of this project is its impact on the life of marine mammals including fish and seals. Since the wind turbine units go deep inside the seabed, it raises a number of problems for fish species living underwater. The problems include disturbed behavior in feeding, breeding and preying abilities. Baseline studies show the presence of a number of mammal species in the area including bottlenose dolphin, common seal, grey seal, minke whale, harbor porpoise and common porpoise. The selected site is internationally renowned for the UK’s largest presence of bottlenose dolphins with an estimated population of about 130 individuals. According to the studies, harbor porpoises are the most commonly found species and are found throughout the inshore and offshore waters in the region. The second most commonly found species are the minke whales commonly sighted in the offshore waters after harbor porpoises. In addition, several other marine mammals have been sighted in the region in recent years which include Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Risso’s dolphin, striped dolphin, Long-finned pilot whale, Humpback whale, Killer whale, Fin whale and sperm whale (Kruuk and Moorhouse, 1991). Some of the main impacts on the marine life include noise from the wind turbines and the effect of electromagnetic field on fish and mammals due to underwater current cables. Noise from the Wind Turbine Units The noise created underwater by these turbine units may affect the habitat of some marine mammals and fish species living in the region. The main source of this noise will be of the engine housed at the top of the tower and is transmitted into the sea by the tower structure itself. Although, generally the noise level from the engine of the wind turbine is considered to be very low. It is estimated to be in the range of 115-120 dB (Vella et al., 2001). But the turbines used for this project are relatively larger than most of the turbines used in the wind farms worldwide with noise level reaching up to be around 153 dB (Nedwell and Howell, 2004). The assessment of this noise detection among the marine life is another issue. The assessment will use the most up to date data on the number of marine mammals that are exposed to these noise levels above their individual threshold response level. Authorities at the University of Aberdeen will be carrying on site date collection and evaluation process for this assessment. As far as the mitigation measures are concerned, none of them could be identified and at this early stage of development it is not believed to be that necessary. Another concern for the environment assessment is the noise generated during construction of these wind turbine units. Especially noise created from underwater piling operations. Piling is a drilling technique used to drill holes underground for deep foundation. According to Nedwell and Howell (2004), noise from piling can enter the marine environment by four pathways, but the most significant one is thought to be by transmission of vibration through the pile itself directly into the water column. The noise produced during piling is dependent on a number of factors including the characteristics of the sea bed, the water depth and the type of equipment used. Use of suction piles may be used to alleviate the impact due to their environmental benefit and better efficiency during installation. However, if the authorities chose to opt for driven piles instead, then the operation will be conducted steadily and softly. This means less intensive strikes of the piling hammer will be made spaced at longer time intervals to minimize the underwater noise effect as much as possible. The intervals between the hammer striking noises would give ample time to nearby marine mammals and fish living in the area to get away from the source and to stay away from the zone when high levels of noise would be perceived when high level of piling begins. Electromagnetic Field effect on the fish The wires connecting the two demonstrator turbines carry high current and as a result generate large amounts of electromagnetic field. This electromagnetic field due to underwater wiring may affect some species of fish and might disturb their navigation and preying abilities. It may also prevent some of the species to habitat in the location surrounded by these fields. However, since the wind turbine units are located close to the Beatrice facility, the subsea cable required is quite short in length and therefore not likely to have an effect on large areas. According to the baseline data collected, there is no population of species found that are endangered by the E-field effect in the areas close to the facility. And also the area of habitat to be affected by these E-fields from the demonstrator cables is believed to be very limited. In order to assess the effect of these E-fields on fish and other species, an estimate of the size and strength of these fields will be made. And the information will be looked upon as to determine the likely response of the commercially important fish species at the demonstrator site. If the effect on marine life due to these E-fields is found to be significant, a number of mitigation measures will be taken into account. One possible measure could be to bury the cables underground in the seabed rather than leaving them on it to minimize the generating E-fields. The effect will then be assessed. Another possible measure could be to keep the length of the subsea cable as minimum as possible. This would not only lessen the E-fields due to the cable but also will be more cost effective. Or the cable insulation can be modified such that it absorbs most of the E-fields thus reducing the magnitude and its overall effect on the surroundings. According to the Assessment of Environmental Effects Regulations (1999) requirements, Talisman and Scottish and Southern Energy conducted a consultation program in 2005 in order to assemble views and concerns of all the stakeholders about the proposed demonstrator project. Agencies involved during the consultation exercise for this project include Scottish Government Energy Division, the Crown Estate, Marine Scotland, Highland Council, Moray Council, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the University of Aberdeen – Lighthouse Field Station, Sea Mammal Research Unit, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council and Moray Firth Partnership Group. All of these consultees played an important role during the scoping exercise of the Beatrice wind farm proposal and also collecting the baseline data for the assessment. This Environment Impact Statement (EIS) is a useful way for the authorities to decide whether to carry on with the project or not. It summarizes all the possible environmental impacts that may cause harm or danger to surrounding environment or any species involved directly or indirectly with the project. Not only that, it also provides a way out or a proposed action to any significant impact. As far as the Beatrice wind farm project is concerned, most of the environmental impact is concerned with the marine life involving a wide variety of fish and mammals. Although major concerns are discussed in this report, these concerns do not pose any high level threat to the underwater life. Other issues such as birds’ interaction, impact on landscape and seascape, erosion of sediments, telecommunications and aviations issues etc also don’t impose any significant amount of risk. On the other hand, it also provides better energy source in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, cost and pollution as compared to some of the other resources. This project has also managed to spread awareness of large scale deepwater wind energy farms and its concept in Europe. Not only that, the demonstrator project has also been able to create many job opportunities. So according to the EIS on this particular project, the authorities should not have any difficulty to carry on with the project after completion of five years of the demonstrator project. Bibliography Beatrice Wind farm demonstrator project. Map showing Beatrice Location. Available from: http://www.beatricewind.co.uk/map/ [Accessed 10 March 2012] Dougherty, T.C. and Hall, A.C., 1995. Environmental Impact Assessment of Irrigation and Drainage projects. Wallingford, UK. Global Marine Systems. Beatrice Wind farm- Case study. Available from: http://www.globalmarinesystemsenergy.com/images/upload/File/Beatrice_Case_Study.pdf [Accessed 09 March 2012]. Szylak, S., 2010. Beatrice Offshore Wind farm: Environmental Scoping Report. Available from: http://www.sse.com/uploadedFiles/Z_Microsites/Beatrice/Controls/Lists/Resources/ScopingReport.pdf [Accessed 10 March 2012] Talisman Energy. Beatrice Wind farm demonstrator project. Available from: http://www.beatricewind.co.uk/Uploads/Downloads/BEATRICE_WINDFARM.pdf [Accessed 10 March 2012] Read More