Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Anniversaries!
Offshore wind energy development and ecosystem-based
management:
Are the EU regulatory answers really blowing in the wind?
1. 36th Annual Conference Center
for Oceans Law and Policy
2. 30th anniversary signing 1982
United Nations Law of the Sea
Convention
3. 20th anniversary of the 1992
United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development
Dr. Ronán Long
Jean Monnet Chair EU Law
National University of Ireland Galway
4. 10th anniversary of the 2002
World Summit on Sustainable
Development
Photo source: UN Archive
Regulation of Continental Shelf Development Conference,
Halifax, 21-22 June 2012
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Overview
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Status of the industry in Europe
1. Industry status and trends
2. Policy backdrop
3. Law of the Sea
4. Reconciling future growth of
the industry with ecosystem
based management
Photo source: EWEA
169,500 jobs in offshore industry by 2020
300,000 by 2030
source: EWEA Rep 2011
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Growth of the industry in Europe
1991-2011
source: EWEA Rep 2011
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Future Trends: Wind Farm Size
source: EWEA Rep 2011
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Substructures
Future Trends: Deeper and Further
source: EWEA Rep 2011
Water depth (m)
Wind turbine structures
0-10
Gravity based
0-30
Mono pile
> 20
Tripod / jacket
> 50
Floating
source: EWEA Rep 2011
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Future Trends
Annual investments in offshore wind power are
expected to increase from €2.8 billion in 2011 to
€10.4 billion in 2020.
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Vessels
source: EWEA Rep 2011
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Projected Growth North Sea
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
United States
DOE $5 billion transmission Atlantic Wind Connection project received financial support
from Google, Good Energies and Marubeni Corporation
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Trends
EU Policy Backdrop
• EU targets for 2020 :
– 20% energy from renewable sources / 20%
energy efficiency / 20% reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions
• European Energy Roadmap 2050
– 80% reduction carbon emissions
– 55% energy from renewable sources
Offshore wind turbine announcements
by size and origin 2011
• 30% of all wind energy turbines in Europe will be
located offshore by 2020 – increasing to 60% by
2030
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Law of the Sea Aspects
• Convention provides framework: sovereign
rights and jurisdictions
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Ecosystem Approach
• Definition:
“… the comprehensive integrated
management of human activities based on
the best available scientific knowledge
about the ecosystem and its dynamics.”
• Rights are not absolute…innocent passage
and navigation freedoms
• Review of Convention provisions
• Marine Strategy Framework Directive…Habitats
Directives…Regional Seas Conventions… EU
Biodiversity Strategy 2020
First Joint Ministerial Meeting of the Helsinki and
OSPAR Commissions, Bremen, 25 - 26 June 2003
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Positive and Negative
Environmental Impacts
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Reconciling offshore wind farm development with
ecosystem-based marine management (slides 22-25)
• Ten steps on how to integrate ecosystem-based
management into the offshore wind energy sector
• Environmental Impacts
• Positive & negative impacts
Source image: en. wik ipedia.org
Source: www.rechargenews.com
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Conclusions
Other Publications
• 6 conclusions on the future regulatory
1.
R. Long, “Offshore wind energy development in Germany:
Actors, legal Instruments and decision-making procedures” in H.
Koch, D. Könnig (ed.), in CLIMATE CHANGE AND
ENVIRONEMTAL HAZARDS RELATED TO SHIPPING: AN
INTERNATIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK: PROCEEDINGS OF
THE HAMBURG INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
CONFERENCE 2011 (Leiden/Boston, Martin Nijhoff, 2013).
2.
R. Long, “Legal Aspects of Ecosystem-Based Marine
Management in Europe” in A. Chircop, M. L. McConnell, S.
Coffen-Smout (ed.), OCEAN YEARBOOK Vol. 26,
(Boston/Leiden, Brill Academic Publishers, c. April 2012)
pp.417-484.
3.
R. Long “A New European Approach to the Regulation of the
Marine Environment, Marine Natural Resources and Marine
Ecological Services” (2011) JOURNAL OF ENERGY AND
NATURAL RESOURCES LAW 29 (1) pp. 1-45
environment governing offshore wind
energy development in the EU
•
R. Long, “Offshore wind energy and
ecosystem-based management: Are
the EU regulatory answers really
blowing in the wind?” in M. Nordquist,
A. Chircop, R. Long, J. Norton Moore,
THE REGULATION OF
CONTINENTAL SHELF
DEVELOPMENT: RETHINKING
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
(Leiden/Boston, Martinus Nijhoff, 2013)
35pp (forthcoming)
Ronán LONG, NUI Galway
Thank You!
Should you require a copy of this paper prior to publication, please contact:
[email protected]