Natural Power has published a report on the marine environment at Robin Rigg Offshore Wind Farm, on behalf of owner E.ON. This report is one of the operational year commitments under planning required for by the Marine Environment Monitoring Plan (MEMP).
This approach to key environmental issues is similar to those used by the Danish, Belgian and German Environmental Monitoring Programmes in Europe. The methods and approaches for the long-term dataset collected as part of the MEMP from baseline, pre-construction, during the construction and during operational year one to assess the potential effects of the wind farm within the Solway Firth. The report concludes that there is little significant evidence that the construction and operation of the Robin Rigg wind farm has had any significant or permanent impact upon the marine life in the immediate or surrounding area. During the course of the surveys 38 species of fish and over 150 types of invertebrate have been found. Whilst in and around the site and cable route, 38 species of bird and 2 species of marine mammal have been observed. Site observations have also shown an increase in the distribution and utilisation of areas of the Solway Firth by cormorants and gull species in the area as well as potential displacement effects during construction for auk species (guillemot and razorbill). The full report is available to download on the Marine Scotland website at www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/marine/Licensing/marine/scoping/Robin-Rigg
