Environmental impact assessments (EIA) for offshore wind farms
In the context of site finding for offshore wind farms, it is particularly relevant to consider along with navigation, fishing, navy and mineral resources exploration (e.g. mineral oil and natural gas drillings) the existence of marine environmental protection reserves. Very different environmental points of view have to be taken into account. Aspects of the life, health and well-being of human beings are included, as well as the fauna and flora, the seabed, the watercolumn, the air and climate, the landscape as a whole and the conservation of cultural assets and other material assets.
Although offshore wind farms of comparable dimension are also developed in other European countries (e.g. Denmark, Great Britain, Sweden, Belgium, France and the Netherlands), only very few plants have actually been built until now. Both the technical erection of such a project and the examination of its environmental effects are extremely demanding tasks. Since 1999 the OECOS team has intensively participated in the methodical discussion concerning EIAs, especially the adequate description, the assessment of the marine environment and the expected impacts.