Page 168 - Alderney Regional Environmental Assessment of Renewable Energy: Environmental Report

Alderney

Regional Environmental Assessment of Renewable Energy:

Environmental Report

5.6.2

Impact Assessment

A range of sensitivities relevant to statutory designations and wider conservation resources are

considered in the REA. Specific sensitivities that need to be considered are listed below.

The Draft Plan has the potential to affect nature conservation features in the study area through

a number of impact pathways which are assessed in the following sections:

Collision Risk (Section 5.6.2.1);

Visual Disturbance (Section 5.6.2.2);

Noise/ Vibration Disturbance (Section 5.6.2.3);

Toxic Contamination (Spillage) (Section 5.6.2.4);

Loss/Damage and/or Disturbance (Section 5.6.2.5);

Loss or Changes To Foraging Grounds (Section 5.6.2.6);

Non-Toxic Contamination (Section 5.6.2.7);

Toxic Contamination (Sediment Release) (Section 5.6.2.8);

Potential for Non-Native Species Introductions (Section 5.6.2.9);

Barrier to Movement (Section 5.6.2.10);

Introduction of New Structures (Section 5.6.2.11);

Seal Haul-Out Damage (Section 5.6.2.12); and

Electromagnetic Field (EMF) (Section 5.6.2.13).

In general reference should be also made to specific receptor topics including Fish and

Shellfish (Section 5.3), Ornithology (Section 5.4), Marine Mammals (Section 5.5) and

Terrestrial Ecology (Section 5.7) for further information. This section focuses on potential

effects on the integrity of designated sites and its supporting features.

One of the possible cable routes is anticipated to come ashore on the south-east coast of

Alderney and potentially through the Longis Bay Nature Reserve, however in general the

precise location of other elements of the Draft Plan are currently unknown. The importance of

a feature is based on its value and rarity and considering Alderney includes designated nature

reserves, and an internationally important Ramsar, importance is considered to range between

moderate to high depending on the level of protection of the feature. Sensitivity is considered

to be the intolerance of a habitat, community or individual species designated and the variation

between the impact pathways are discussed in the individual assessments below.

5.6.2.1

Collision risk

There is a potential collision risk on mobile species particularly from moving turbine blades

during the operation of tidal stream turbines and onshore wind turbine (specifically for birds).

Temporary effects may also occur from vessel propellers used during the survey, construction

and decommissioning stage associated with tidal stream turbines, cable routeing and offshore

substation as well as any maintenance vessels during operation of cable routeing and offshore

substations. The potential for effects is discussed further in each of the specific receptor topic

assessments: Fish and Shellfish (Section 5.3.2.1), Ornithology (Section 5.4.2.1) and Marine

Mammals (Section 5.5.2.1). In addition these sections reference species that are features of

designated site and therefore an effect on these species is considered to a related effect on

this assessment.

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