A new industrial revolution is taking place in the oceans, as humankind increasing looks offshore to meet its needs for energy, resources and food. This growing demand for marine space and resources is placing further pressure on an ocean whose health is already declining. This evolving situation is encapsulated by the emerging ‘Blue Economy’ discourse, which advocates sustainable development of the oceans to meet economic and social needs. The European Union (EU), in its Blue Growth Agenda, highlights the potential to ‘harness the untapped potential of Europe's oceans, seas and coasts for jobs and growth … whilst safeguarding biodiversity and protecting the marine environment’. Developing a blue economy is a major challenge that necessitates the evolution of existing regulatory frameworks.

Marine renewable energy (MRE) resources, such as offshore wind, wave, and tidal, have been identified by the EU as one of the five key ‘value chains’ that can contribute to a blue economy. Offshore wind is growing rapidly, with projects moving into deeper waters, and new technologies being developed. In the United Kingdom (UK) offshore wind currently meets around 3% of total electricity demand, but this figure is likely to rise substantially in pursuit of the UK's legally binding target to source 20% of its total energy consumption from renewables by 2020.

Ocean energy technologies, which utilise waves and tides to generate electricity, are now attracting considerable interest and investment, and bringing their own unique challenges to existing marine governance and project approval frameworks. Indeed, ocean energy is not simply a technically challenging extension of onshore renewable energy technologies: ‘the policy environment, governance, patterns of resource use, conservation values, and distribution of ownership rights are all substantively different’. Interest in ocean energy is particularly high in Europe, where the European Commission has developed an action plan to support the sector. The UK, and Scotland in particular, has emerged as the frontrunner in this new industry, with ocean energy enjoying political support, resources and technical expertise.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR OCEAN ENERGY

Ensuring that the deployment of innovative new technologies does not negatively impact the marine environment is a defining challenge of the push towards a blue economy.