Offshore Wind Environmental Standards

The Authority's priorities are to secure a healthy natural environment; a sustainable, low-carbon economy; a thriving farming sector and a sustainable, healthy, and secure food supply.

OWES will take the form of a set of standardised measures that can be applied to the design, construction, operation, monitoring and decommissioning of an offshore wind farm which seek to minimise harmful impacts on the marine environment and/or deliver environmental benefits. Their primary aim is to create a clear, consistent approach to avoiding and mitigating the negative environmental impacts of offshore wind projects and, where possible, avoid the need for compensation. OWES will not remove the need for bespoke mitigation measures or the need to follow the mitigation hierarchy. Rather they will be a suite of pre-approved, standardised mitigation options which easily demonstrate to the examining authority a developer's consideration of the harmful environmental impacts of their proposed project. This should reduce the scope of a project's Rochdale Envelope, as a project's potential impacts will be smaller from the outset and smoothen the overall consenting process. For example, one OWES which could be used is a pre-agreed decibel limit for developers when pile-driving. This would provide a developer with a clear option for noise to minimise the project's impact on marine mammals.

While OWES will initially focus on protecting the marine environment - by ensuring developers avoid and/or mitigate their environmental damage - they have the potential to enhance the biodiversity of their surroundings (both inside and outside MPAs). For example, OWES could standardise the incorporation of seabird monitoring technology into a turbine's design. This would improve overall understanding of the impacts of offshore wind development and help evidence further mitigation techniques. Projects could be fitted with oyster reefs to encourage biodiversity and limit the negative effects wind turbine installation has on the surrounding environment. Through The Rich North Sea programme1, sites across Germany, Demark and the Netherlands are starting to trial this approach.

OWES will be introduced for offshore wind only.

We are seeking a project proposal to co-design a suite of suitable Offshore Wind Environmental Standards.

To deliver a set of co-designed OWES with Defra Group, industry representatives and other identified stakeholders by July 2023.

Please note that you need to register on Atamis to submit a tender for this opportunity: https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome

Key Dates Deadline for clarifications: 22/12/2022 Deadline for receipt of Quotation: 30/12/2022

Please see ITT here: https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome

This procurement by Defra sits within the PCR exemptions as a research and development project for the exclusive use of Defra.