Marine Renewables

RYA Scotland works with colleagues across the wider RYA and with the relevant statutory authorities and stakeholders in Scotland including Marine Scotland and the Northern Lighthouse Board as well as with developers and their consultants to limit adverse impacts of marine renewable developments on navigational safety of recreational boating around the coast whilst being alert to any possible benefits that might accrue.

Marine Scotland sends RYA Scotland licence applications for marine renewables, all of which we respond to, drawing on the specific local knowledge of our network of coastwatchers. In fact, by the time a licence application is submitted we may have already been involved at several stages including the identification of key issues to be addressed (scoping), and attendance at Navigational Risk Assessment meetings.

Local meetings are often held by developers and you are encouraged to attend, as there may be local issues that RYA Scotland is unaware of. Please keep us informed of any such issues so that we can best support you. While we are well aware of all the large schemes, small wave and tidal schemes may be proposed and it is important that we are alerted as soon as possible.

To support our case, RYA has published the UK Coastal Atlas of Recreational Boating, now in its third edition and available on National Marine Plan Interactive, and the fourth edition of the position papers on wind, wave and tidal offshore renewable Energy Installations (September 2015). These are well used by Marine Scotland and by developers.

There are several conventional windfarms operating in Scottish Waters, including Robin Rigg in the Solway Firth, Beatrice in the Moray Firth and the European Offshore Wind Development Centre in Aberdeen Bay with additional windfarms in planning and construction phases. There are additional small floating wind arrays including those off Peterhead and Stonehaven. People on passage in such areas are advised to keep a close lookout, particularly near schemes that are being constructed. In spite of requests by RYA Scotland there is no single site where all the Notices to Mariners can be found.

There are also several tidal arrays generating to the grid, including those in the Pentland Firth and in Bluemull Sound in Shetland. For more on developments in Wave Power generation in Scotland, head to the Wave Energy Scotland website.

 

If you'd like to highlight concerns, or draw attention to any specific matter, please contact RYA Scotland's Planning and Environment Officer Graham Russell via consulations@ryascotland.org.uk