Protecting local habitats
Onshore Consents for Project Green Volt commence
Tom Harrison, Onshore Consenter, Flotation Energy
As Green Volt progresses with pace, our project team has placed significant focus on undertaking a range of baseline surveys which will inform the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report. These surveys are important for several reasons, it helps us liaise with the relevant agencies in detail to identify any potential impacts on the environment, understand concerns and ensures that we mitigate impact as much as possible to protect precious plants and animal species.
The protected species surveys help us to identify the presence of certain species such as badger, water vole, otter, red squirrel, and pine marten. This will help to identify any potential impacts our development could have on these animals, and ensure we develop measures to protect them. A UK Habitat survey is also being carried out to identify any scarce or rare plants in the area and will also record any potential ground water dependent terrestrial ecosystems (GWDTE).
A hydrology walkover survey is being carried out to visually inspect watercourses and ground conditions along the corridor, as well as to identify the source locations of any active private water supplies (PWS). This will help to identify any potential impacts on water quality or quantity, and our team is also consulting with relevant Salmon Fishery Boards and Fisheries Trusts to seek advice on any potential impacts on fish populations.
Future surveys will include checks for any suitable bat roost structures, specifically within trees, as well as breeding bird surveys in the appropriate season to identify any potential impacts on these species. Background noise surveys will be carried out to inform noise modelling for the EIA, and an archaeological walkover survey will be undertaken to identify any potential impacts on archaeological sites or cultural heritage.
All of these surveys and consultations will help to ensure that the project team is able to identify and minimise potential impacts on the environment and are a vital part of our planning process.
To date, we have carried out an number of these surveys on other projects such as Morecambe and White Cross, so we have a deep understanding and respect for this really important step in our project process.
Preapplication Consultation for Green Volt is underway, and this week we are hosting several events, details of which can be found here.