News from the IWDG Consulting Team

IWDG Consulting have started fieldwork in North Mayo as part of the AFLOWT project. Commissioned by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to deliver the marine mammal component of AFLOWT (https://www.nweurope.eu/projects/project-search/aflowt-accelerating-market-uptake-of-floating-offshore-wind-technology/), the IWDG are contracted to:

i) collate all background data on the site

ii) carry out a gap analysis

iii) establish baseline indices for monitoring requirements

iv) prepare the marine mammal chapter for the EIS/AA

v) develop an ongoing environmental programme

IWDG Consulting have developed a partnership with SMRU Consulting in order to bring in their experience and expertise with similar floating offshore wind devices in Scotland. SMRU Consulting will prepare the EIA and AA while IWDG Consulting will review current knowlege and gather baseline data. Fieldwork involves deploying Static Acoustic Monitoring equipment and adding to the photo-id catalogue of bottlenose dolphins that frequent the area. The inner test berth of AMETS is within the newly designated West Connacht Coast SAC which lists bottlenose dolphins as the sole qualifying interest.

The baseline review and gap analysis has already been delivered to SEAI (Quinn and Berrow, 2020) and fieldwork will last 1-2 years. It is hoped to deploy a full-scale floating offshore wind device by 2023 at the AMETS site.

Quinn, M. and Berrow, S. (2020) AFLOWT: Review of Marine Mammal Baseline Data and Gap Analysis from the Atlantic Marine Energy Test site (AMETS). Final Report prepared by IWDG Consulting for the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) for the AFLOWT Project. 35pp.

IWDG Consulting have won a contract to carry out a 12 month visual and static acoustic survey of the site of the proposed offshore windfarm off Clogherhead, Co Louth. This windfarm has been in the planning phase for many years having first been identified in 2006. With  recent demands for a rapid move to de-carbonising of our economy, offshore wind is seen as the most practical form of renewable energy in Ireland.

IWDG are pleased that Static Acoustic Monitoring is part of this baseline survey as harbour porpoise are likely to be a key component of the marine mammal community at the site.

IWDG CEO Dr Simon Berrow said “we are likely to see a big increase in interest in offshore wind in Ireland and we are happy that the IWDG can provide its’ experience and knowledge to minimise the impacts of this essential infrastructure on marine mammals”.

Marine Mammal survey of the proposed Oriel Windfarm site onboard Fastnet Petrel © Simon Berrow/IWDG