Monitoring Cable Protection

Tender description

Offshore wind external cable protection measures are commonplace in offshore wind farms to protect free span areas of cables between a substructure and the buried cable section. Environmental impact assessments (e.g., EIAs and HRAs) assume total loss of habitat beneath cable protection. However, there is some uncertainty as to whether ecological function, of the habitat the cable protection is deployed on, can continue for some cable protection measures (depending on the substrata that the cable is deployed upon) and whether different cable protection measures have different levels of effect. Offshore Wind Environmental Evidence Register (OWEER) considers impacts of introduced hard substrate on benthic habitats and species as priority area of research and a remaining evidence gap. Ascertaining a better understanding of the ecological function of benthic habitats to anthropogenic hard substrate could potentially reduce short term and long term consenting risks and support the offshore development aspiration of the BESS. Whilst regulators must balance priorities between environmental impacts of cable protection measures with other considerations, including the views of commercial fisheries, this project intends to focus on increasing evidence of ecological impacts of cable protection measures to support evidence-based decision-making. Additional information: To apply for this opportunity you must submit your quotation meeting the requirements detailed in the Request for Quotation (RFQ) attached. Your response must be sent to lucy.crooks@naturalengland.org.uk by 17:00 on 05/09/2023. If you have any clarification questions linked to this opportunity or the procurement process please submit these via email to lucy.crooks@naturalengland.org.uk. Please note that, unless commercially sensitive, both the question and the response will be circulated to all tenderers.