1. Planning and Policies for Offshore Renewables: Drawing Lessons after two of decades of global experience. Dr. Brendan Flynn School of Political Science & Sociology, NUI, Galway. Law and the Environment Conference, University College Cork, April 23 rd, 2015

2. Schema Marine policy Trilemma Marine renewables-boom and bust Irish policy on offshore renewables-in flux? Spatial planning or development planning or both? Planning for Visual Pollution-Goldilocks zones? A detailed case study; New Zealand’s adaptive management approach to tidal energy. Conclusions

3. The Marine policy Trilemma! MAXIMISE MARINE SAFETY & SECURITY IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION/QUALITY AT SEA ENHANCE BLUE GROWTH

5. Marine Renewables-Boom and Bust

7. Scaling up-further out

8. Not all about offshore wind…

9. Irish policy on marine renewables-in flux?

10. http://www.nowireland.ie/offshore-wind-ireland.html and for the Carna wind farm see: http://www.fsteo.com/ http://www.nowireland.ie/offshore-wind-ireland.html http://www.nowireland.ie/offshore-wind-ireland.html and for the Carna wind farm see: http://www.fsteo.com/ http://www.nowireland.ie/offshore-wind-ireland.html

11. http://www.coastalconcern.ie/coastal_environment/visual_impact_assess ment.html

12. Irish government plans on wave energy are very ambitious considering that the WestWave project will begin in 2014 with only 5MW of capacity-leaving six years to Install another 495MW-equiavlent to a single gas fired electricity plant. In setting that Ambitious target note it was a product of a Green party holding the energy portfolio in a c Coalition government (2007-2011) together with some industry and academic suppport

13. Marine spatial planning cannot ‘quick fix’ planning for marine renewables-no substitute for planning which is focus on specific technology of development? MEMSA project led by Dr. Peter Jones (UCL) http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~ucfwpej/pdf/MESMAGovernanceFindingsOutline.pdf Undertook 9 detailed case studies in Europe…. Key findings included…. Most Marine spatial plans were very top down-very little genuine stakeholder across all levels of the planning process-participation tends to ‘ghettoized’ from actual planning decision-making process. Lots of frustration of MSP = talking shops Fancy academic expectations of using MSP to deliver ecosystem based management very seldom met: raising the question whether the EBM language in Directives is operative? “The (EU) Maritime Spatial Planning Directive is likely to increase tensions and conflicts in an already crowded and fractured European policy landscape for marine spatial planning, in its prioritisation of blue growth over good environmental status” (Peter Jones)

14. Key trends are larger turbines, floating turbines, but also cost have stayed very high, in some cases increasing.....not good during a recession.....competition from Shale gas....the image on the right is the first floating wind turbine, the Norwegian Hywind turbine installed in in 2009

15. New Generation of Floating Wind turbine in 5MW Range emerging -but as of 2013 only 2 in Europe connected to the Grid! http://www.bluehgroup.com/product/phase-1.php

16. Planning for Visual Pollution- Goldielocks zones?

17. Detailed case-study: Planning for Tidal Energy-New Zealand case of Kaipara 2005-2013

18. Proposal involved Tidal Current Devices-en masse x 200!

19. A good example of a Court adding forward looking planning conditions which required phased development and ongoing monitoring-very challenging for developers and regulators!

20. New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2011, defines adaptive management in its Section 64, which is worth reproducing at length here: Section 64 Adaptive Management approach (1) The Environmental Protection Authority may incorporate an adaptive management approach into a marine consent granted for an activity. (2) An adaptive management approach includes— (a) allowing an activity to commence on a small scale or for a short period so that its effects on the environment and existing interests can be monitored; (b) any other approach that allows an activity to be undertaken so that its effects can be assessed and the activity discontinued, or continued with or without amendment, on the basis of those effects. (3) In order to incorporate an adaptive management approach into a marine consent, the EPA may impose conditions under section 63 that authorise the activity to be undertaken in stages, with a requirement for regular monitoring and reporting before the next stage of the activity may be undertaken or the activity continued for the next period.section 63 (4) A stage may relate to the duration of the consent, the area over which the consent is granted, the scale or intensity of the activity, or the nature of the activity.

21. Conclusions Maybe too much stress on ‘high concept’ zonal planning approaches-actual planning for shifting technologies and unknown risks might be more important. If we are concerned with zones-we need to note the importance of the mid EEZ range 16+km New Zealand style Adaptive Management should be considered Importance of bonds/community gain mechanism/provisions Importance of inclusive participation by key stakeholders-Fishers, Birds, etc. Ireland has great policies on paper-however we need a marine renewables industry in the water BUT not at any cost… Moreover, exploring ocean energy may be more strategic than playing catch-up with offshore wind-finding niches is a key goal-does the planning process support this-arguably adaptive management.