Moved by
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
104: After Clause 244, insert the following new Clause—
“Marine habitats: reducing effects of offshore wind developments
(1) The Secretary of State may, by regulations, prohibit offshore wind developments in marine protected areas.
(2) The Secretary of State may, by regulations, prevent consent being granted for an offshore wind development if the mitigation hierarchy has not been followed.
(3) “Mitigation hierarchy” means a framework for developers to address harms to biodiversity and ecosystems caused by developments, based on the sequential and iterative application of actions to avoid, mitigate, and then compensate for, such harms.
(4) Subsections (1) and (2) apply to—
(a) an offshore installation used for or in connection with wind energy generation;
(b) offshore infrastructure, including cables and pipelines, connected to such an installation;
(c) infrastructure connected to such an installation that is being decommissioned, has been decommissioned, or has been abandoned.
(5) Regulations under this section are subject to the affirmative procedure.”
Member’s explanatory statement
This new Clause would strengthen protection for marine protected areas from damage related to energy infrastructure and ensure the mitigation hierarchy is followed.