Offshore wind energy, a renewable potential in Spain

Offshore wind energy as a renewable energy takes advantage of the force of the wind that occurs on the high seas and hence its high potential. It has great strategic socio-economic and environmental added value and is positioned as one of the renewable sources called to play a crucial role in achieving a climate-neutral European economy in 2050.

Offshore wind installations have distinct and advantageous characteristics compared to onshore installations. The existing wind resource in the sea is greater and more regular than on land, increasing the electricity generation of wind turbines with the same dimensions. In addition, the lower surface roughness in the sea requires a lower tower height compared to an onshore wind turbine.

First steps in offshore wind energy

In 2022, the Council of Ministers approved the Roadmap for the Development of Offshore Wind and Marine Energy in Spain, a strategy to promote Spanish leadership in the technological development and R&D of different clean sources that take advantage of natural marine resources, with special attention to wind power. This Strategy contains 20 lines of action with the objective of achieving between 1 and 3 GW of floating offshore wind power by 2030 — up to 40% of the EU's objective by the end of the decade.

In any case, the legislative framework that must govern this renewable deployment is still pending approval, since, although Royal Decree 1028/2007, of July 20, which establishes the administrative procedure for processing requests for authorization of electricity generation facilities in the territorial sea, is still in force, it has proven obsolete and unable to develop projects under its framework (no project under this framework in 16 years).

Recently, this month of October 2023, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) decided to grant 146.9 million euros of funds NextGenEU channeled by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) to 21 actions aimed at promoting test platforms and the demonstration of new prototypes in the field of marine renewable energy, as can be found here. It is estimated that the selected projects will mobilize investments close to 384 million.

For proper offshore wind development in Spain, it is necessary to take into account current legislation on maritime land planning, and also in relation to the environmental impact assessment of this type of project, as well as studies and work to be carried out:

Directive 2014/89/EU at European level was transposed in Spain with the Royal Decree 363/2017, of April 8, which establishes a framework for maritime spatial planning, in application of the Law 41/2010, of December 29, for the protection of the marine environment.

Five demarcations are established: North Atlantic, Levantine-Balearic, South Atlantic, Alboran Strait and Canaria.

The Maritime Spatial Planning Plans of all marine demarcations in Spain have been approved by the Council of Ministers and published in the Royal Decree 150/2023, of February 28, which approves the maritime spatial planning plans of the five Spanish marine demarcations (POEM).

Where will we see offshore wind power in Spain

Thus, a set of priority use areas (ZUP) have been identified for activities of general interest and that require a specific occupation; and a set of areas of high potential (ZAP) for certain sectoral activities or where future potential prevails.

This zoning is very important and must be taken into account when searching for areas for offshore wind development, avoiding placing them in Priority Use Zones (ZUP), and prioritizing their location in areas with high potential for the development of offshore wind energy.

Environmental Assessment of Offshore Wind Energy

Once a site has been selected in these areas with high potential for offshore wind development, it must be borne in mind that this does not exempt environmental processing; the existence of a Strategic Environmental Declaration of these Strategic Management Plans for maritime demarcations does not exempt projects from being subject, if appropriate, to the environmental impact assessment procedure.

Therefore, the project in question must undergo an environmental impact assessment procedure in accordance with Law 21/2013 on Environmental Impact Assessment and as indicated in the published Strategic Environmental Declaration of the Plans, which indicates that it must be carried out:

• The study of the avifauna potentially affected by the installation will have a minimum duration of a complete biological cycle of all the species present in the area of implantation of the project and its area of influence. For the detected avifauna species, their degree of protection and threat, their state of conservation at different scales, the use of the territory and the associated type of flight (feeding, reproduction, migration, movement, etc.) must be described to allow us to analyze if they may have effects on the wind infrastructure.
• Study of fauna potentially affected by the emission of noise from the installation.
• Characterization of the marine habitats affected by the project (wind turbines and evacuation line).
• Analysis of the cumulative and synergistic effects of other nearby offshore wind projects, as well as of projects of different types that are likely to generate negative effects on the environment, including biodiversity.
• Acoustic study before installation, during installation and during operation of the offshore wind farm to continuously monitor the evolution of noise in the areas affected by the wind farm and feed into a potential database of the noise associated with these facilities managed by the General Subdirectorate for Marine Protection within the framework of Marine Strategies.
• Impact and landscape integration study, considering potential coastal and, where appropriate, coastal and marine observers that may be of interest due to the peculiarity of the area.
• Analysis of fishing activity in the area. Description of the types of fishing affected by the project and assessment of the conditions based on the existing type of fishing. Priority should be given to the coexistence of the wind farm with the fishing activity present in the area, with special consideration to traditional fishing gears and sustainably managed fishing grounds.

In cases where an area of high potential for offshore wind energy overlaps with protected marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network, the projects carrying out the activities must carry out a detailed analysis of the technically and environmentally viable alternatives, and provide a justification for the main reasons for the adopted solution, taking into account the effects of the project on the space in question (not only in relation to the wind farm, but also to the electrical evacuation lines).

On the other hand, from an environmental point of view, it is recommended to avoid those areas with some degree of protection or figure of protection present:

• Areas with the presence of catalogued marine habitats.
• Natura 2000 Network Zones.
• Network of Marine Protected Areas of Spain, and other Protected Natural Areas.
• Other environmental protection figures.

At Ideas MedioAmbiental we have expert staff trained in the Environmental Impact Assessment of Offshore Wind Energy projects (Marine Biologists, Graduates in Environmental Sciences, Engineers, etc.) trained to carry out the different tasks and studies necessary for the processing of the Environmental Impact Assessment of Offshore Wind Energy Projects.

Joaquín Ortega, Environmental Assessment