The Government have announced that plans to accelerate the development of offshore wind power will be accompanied by measures to reduce harmful underwater noise. Developers will be required to demonstrate they are making efforts to reduce underwater noise from pile driving and seabed clearance during the installation of offshore wind turbines. A public consultation on setting a future noise limit for offshore wind construction will be undertaken. Where development sites contain unexploded ordnance from the First and Second World Wars operators are expected to use low-noise disposal methods, with noisy detonations a last resort. As well as minimising the harmful effects on marine life, the measures are intended to prevent construction delays caused by breaches in noise thresholds, and accelerate the building of offshore wind projects planned for 2025 onwards. The government has partnered with The Crown Estate’s Offshore Wind Evidence and Change programme and representatives from the explosives and offshore wind industries to test and develop new, quieter technologies for bomb clearance, and pilot proposed noise limits during offshore wind construction. It was also stated that a public consultation on setting a future noise limit for offshore wind construction is anticipated, with no timeline for this given.
