Renewables - Key Information

COWRIE (Collaborative Offshore Wind Research into the Environment) is an independent company set up to raise awareness and understanding of the potential environmental impacts of the UK offshore wind farm programme.

The Crown Estate as landowner of the seabed and areas of foreshore by virtue of the Crown Estate Act 1961, The Crown Estate’s permission is necessary to place structures on or pass cables over the seabed and its foreshore.

The Marine Management Organisation will be the regulator for English territorial waters and the renewable energy zone for developments between1-100 MW, and will also grant certain certain licences in Welsh waters.

The Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) is an independent body which makes decisions on applications for nationally significant infrastructure projects, and is has the regulatory responsibility for renewable energy projects greater than 100MW in English territorial waters and the renewable energy zone.

The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) this is the trade and professional body for the UK wind and marine renewable energy industries.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) are responsible for the decommissioning programme for all offshore renewable developments. DECC has a public consultation website for the latest information on Strategic Environmental Assessment of offshore energy licensing for oil and gas and offshore wind farms.

The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) was established to help the evolution of marine energy devices from the prototype stage into the commercial market place and it provides the worlds only multi-berth, purpose-built, open sea test facilities for wave and tidal marine energy converters.