The Moray Firth is an extremely important region, rich in natural resource. Its surrounding coastline has an extremely high national and international conservation value, has numerous environmentally sensitive areas and sites of high public amenity value.

1. We have reviewed the processes which we propose will take place during the project.
2. We have consulted with selected organisations and groups around the coast of the Moray Firth and nationally and propose to hold further consultations in future.
3. We have reviewed the possible environmental effects resulting from each of the activities carried out during normal and emergency situations during installation, operation, maintenance and decommissioning.
4. We have made an assessment of the likely consequences and environmental effects of the project.

Societal considerations of re-use of platform as OREC

• coastal towns:

  • visual impact

    structure as much as 40m higher but 20 km out to sea so minimal
  
  

• harbours:

  • employment

  
  

• airports, aircraft:

  • no extra electromagnetic interference because large motors have been operating on platforms for 18 years
  • extra height clearance of as much as 40m unlikely to be important to aircraft, even military aircraft
  
  

• ship navigation:

  • unchanged because platforms not moved
  
  

• military defense:

  • unchanged because platforms not moved
  
  

• fishing:

  • unchanged because platforms not moved
  • possibly increased because of cessation of oil activities which means decreased hydrocarbon and noise pollution
  • jacket could now be potential reef/spawning area for fish and so could help support fish stocks.
  • windfarm is non-polluting
    
  
  

• recreational activities:

  • unchanged since platforms not moved
  
  

• marine archeological:

  • unaffected since platforms not moved
  
  

• TV interference

  • not a problem since turbines offshore

Environmental considerations of re-use of platform as OREC

• bird life:

  • studies have shown offshore wind has minor effect on birds plus there is already a windfarm operating on the west coast of the firth, however we propose further consulatation with Royal Society for the Protection of Birds etc.
  
  

• fish life:

  • no underwater work necessary therefore no disturbance to fish life sea bed vegetation
  • possibly already seriously affected , at least in the immediate vicinity of the platforms, by a smothering of drilling mud and drill bits. Proposed OREC will not disturb the sea bed and so allow the ecosystem to heal itself naturally. We do however propose further consultions with operator, SEPA and SAMB etc., to establish whether immediate environmental clean up is necessary to remove contaminants such as PCBS from the marine environment, or whether such a clean up would risk dispersing the drilling muds and other contaminants over a much wider area than they presently cover and thus cause further damage to the marine environment.
  
  

• global environment:

  • offset emmissions per year are:
    • 2000 tons CO₂
    • 133 tons slag and ash
    • 5.3 tons SO₂
    • 2.7 tons NO_x

1. Inspection and preparation of platform for OREC using preparation vessel:

   Possible pollutants include diesel fuels, scrap materials and rubbish.
   
   

2. Transport of equipment to platform using transport vessel:

   Possible pollutants include leakage of diesel fuels.
   
   

3. Installation of equipment on platform.

   This will require that the installation vessel be on site for the duration of commissioning. It is unsure what type of vessel would be required, whether a ship would suffice or a jack-up rig would be necessary.
   
   
   This would mean possible disturbance of marine life through the physical presence of vessel.
   This will not affect shipping since the normal 500m exclusion zone around the platforms will be sufficient.
   
   Possible pollutants are diesel fuels, scrap materials generated during installation and rubbish from personnel.
   
   Possible noise pollution during installation will be during daylight and is likely to be fairly local and short lived and so is unlikely to be particularly significant.
   
   Possible increased visual impact is unlikely to be significant given the distance from shore and compared with the topsides decommissioning process which has just been completed.
   
   
   

4. After commissioning

   Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) with , e.g, Lossiemouth or shipping unlikely if proper shielding is used. Especially since this EMI is not new - large motors (2 ~ 3 MW) have been operating since the platform was originally commissioned.
   
   Visual impact may increase slightly because total height will increase from 60 m above sea level, at least to 80 m and perhaps to 100 m.
   
   Local environmental effects are expected to be minor since wind turbines are non polluting.
   
   - Globally will have a positive environmental effect through offset emmissions and so reduced global warming effect.
   
   

5. During maintainence of the OREC

   Transport to and from platform - Possible pollutants from leakage of diesel fuels but this amount will be negligible compared with that due to normal shipping and fishing activities.
   
   

6. During decommissioning of the OREC system

   All material associated with the OREC project will be fully decommissioned at the end of its working lifetime and will be disposed of onshore. Most of the material in the wind turbines can be recycled.

To Conclude This Environmental Impact Assessment,

We propose that any waste which is produced during project installation, maintenance or decommissioning is kept to a minimum and what waste is unavoidable is brought brack onshore for proper recycling and disposal.

The only chemical pollution we forsee is diesel leakage from service vessels and some lubricant leakage from the turbines but this will be negligible compared to the amount of hydrocarbon pollution already in the area from oil platform activities (oil slicks in the immediate area of the BEATRICE platforms are clearly visible from the air - source:North Sea Task Force) and from normal shipping and fishing activities.

There may be an increased visual impact in the sense that the turbines will be 40 m greater in height than the superstrucure of BEATRICE, however the comparison of visual impact of wind turbines with an oil rig is likely to be highly subjective. Also this visual impact will be minimal because of the distance from shore.

It is difficult to say what the local environmental effects will be but we would expect them to be minimal at worst and positive at best.

The global environmental effects would be net positive because of offset emmissions.

The project will be a boost to the local economy at Nigg, where the service vessel is likely to operate from, and may encourage further similar investment into the area to compensate for the local decline in the oil industry.

The project may boost the national offshore wind industry as well as opening up new options for re-use of offshore installations.

The final decommissioning of the jacket, the submarine cable and capping of oil wells plus any necessary clean up of the sea bed and marine environment will be the responsibility of the oil operator who have been able to postpone full decommissioning until this point. The requirements of this full decommissioning process will neither be added to nor subtracted from, by the OREC.