5.5. EIA Stakeholder Engagement

  1. A thorough statutory and non-statutory stakeholder engagement process has been undertaken by the Applicant. The Applicant has aimed to present a proportionate Array EIA Report, informed by robust and regular engagement with stakeholders to incorporate advice, address concerns and develop appropriate mitigation required. This has included meetings, correspondence, meeting minutes and provision of digital documentation.
  2. Since the conclusion of the ScotWind leasing round in January 2022, the Applicant has regularly engaged with MD-LOT through quarterly meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to provide general project updates and receive notification of any forthcoming regulatory guidance or updates. NatureScot are invited to attend these calls.
  3. The pre-Scoping workshops for the Array were held in November 2022, covering a range of technical topics. The aim of these workshops was to present the proposed scope of the EIA, available data sets to inform the baseline environment and the approach to assessment that would be presented in the Array EIA Scoping Report. Table 5.5   Open ▸ provides a summary of the topics covered at these pre-Scoping workshops and the stakeholders who attended.

 

Table 5.5:
Summary of the Pre-Scoping Workshops

Table 5.5: Summary of the Pre-Scoping Workshops

 

  1. The Array EIA Scoping Report (Ossian OWFL, 2023; volume 3, appendix 6.1) took account of feedback received at the pre-scoping workshops, setting out the scope of impacts to be assessed as part of the Array EIA Report and the method of assessment to be used. The Array EIA Scoping Report was submitted to MD-LOT in March 2023. Following its review by the Scottish Ministers, it was issued for formal consultation between 16 March 2023 and 04 May 2023, Following the consultation period MD-LOT issued the Ossian Array Scoping Opinion on 14 June 2023 (MD-LOT, 2023; volume 3, appendix 6.2).
  2. The Applicant submitted a draft stakeholder engagement plan (dSEP) which is appended to Array EIA Scoping Report (Ossian OWFL, 2023; volume 3, appendix 6.1). This document aimed to facilitate efficient and streamlined engagement and consultation following publication of the Ossian Array Scoping Opinion during the pre-Application phase.
  3. Following the pre-Scoping workshops, as outlined in the indicative schedule within the dSEP, a series of virtual post-Scoping workshops were proposed. However, due to limited stakeholder availability particularly relating to ecology topics, some consultations occurred over email through submission of consultation notes. These notes have been appended to this report to support the approach followed in the Array EIA Report and are listed below in Table 5.6   Open ▸ .

 

Table 5.6:
Summary of Consultation Notes Issued to Consultees

Table 5.6: Summary of Consultation Notes Issued to Consultees

 

  1. The Applicant carried out bi-lateral engagement alongside the workshops to maintain an open dialogue with all stakeholders throughout pre-Scoping and post-Scoping stages. This took the form of written correspondence, and online and in-person meetings and workshops.
  2. The Applicant have recorded all consultation undertaken pre- and post-Scoping in a stakeholder database using a specialised consultation tool called Tractivity. Volume 3, appendix 5.1 provides a summary of consultation discussions and feedback received in the pre-Application phase (post-Scoping).
  3. The dSEP outlined other key topics requiring post-Scoping consultation, including marine archaeology, shipping and navigation, aviation, military and communications, commercial fisheries, and socioeconomics. Key discussions and feedback are noted below:
  • Marine Archaeology – meetings and written correspondence with Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to discuss scoping out of the marine archaeology chapter from the Array EIA Report. Following this consultation and provision of the draft marine archaeology technical report and outline Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) and Protocol for Archaeological Discoveries (PAD), it was agreed with HES that a marine archaeology chapter would be prepared and submitted as part of the Array EIA Report. In addition, further information on study areas and data sets was provided.
  • Shipping and Navigation –meetings and written correspondence with the MCA, NLB and UK Chamber of Shipping (CoS) has been ongoing to discuss issues and concerns with regard to shipping and navigation within the Array. The Applicant has also engaged with regular commercial vessel operators which use routes in the vicinity of the Array and wider routing in the region to gain an understanding of how the Array may impact them. A Hazard Workshop with various consultees was held in August 2023 to discuss key issues, concerns and hazards within the Array which have been incorporated into the shipping and navigation chapter. In addition, the Applicant has been engaging with Morven Offshore Wind Farm, with and without the MCA, NLB and UK CoS, to collaborate on stakeholder concerns.
  • Commercial Fisheries – meetings have been held with commercial fisheries stakeholders to discuss data sets and key findings of the commercial fisheries technical report and chapter, and to “ground truth” the data used.
  • Aviation, Military and Communications – written correspondence was issued to various aviation stakeholders, including the Ministry of Defence – Defence Infrastructure Organisation (MOD-DIO), NATS and Aberdeen International Airport – Safeguarding, and follow up meetings were held with interested parties to discuss their Ossian Array Scoping Opinion representations and additional concerns with the Array. The stakeholder’s preferred mitigation approaches were also discussed with engagement ongoing on this.
  • Socio-economics – consultation letters were issued to economic development and local authority organisations. As construction and operation and maintenance ports are currently unknown, these letters were issued to local authorities associated with the potential port locations along the east coast of Scotland. These letters summarised the proposed approach to assessing socio-economic impacts, including the economic and social impacts to be considered, and comments were sought from each recipient. Follow up meetings were held with Scottish Enterprise and Dundee City Council to discuss these points further.
  1. The responses captured as part of the pre-Scoping workshops, Ossian Array Scoping Opinion (MD-LOT, 2023) and the post-Scoping consultation events are further detailed within the relevant chapters (volume 1, chapter 6 and volume 2, chapters 7 to 20) and within volume 3, appendix 5.1.
  2. The Applicant has engaged with other developers in the ScotWind leasing East and North-East regions to collaborate on issues of shared concern and to identify opportunities for addressing evidence gaps and identifying mitigation and management solutions at a regional and strategic level to address potential cumulative impacts. Collaboration has taken place across a number of topics including the following:
  • Offshore Ornithology;
  • Shipping and Navigation;
  • Commercial Fisheries; and
  • Aviation, Military and Communications.
  1. The Applicant will continue to engage and contribute to collaborative initiatives throughout all stages of project development and delivery, where appropriate to do so.

5.6. Other Stakeholder Engagement

5.6.1. Pre-Application Public Consultation

  1. As the Array is located approximately, 80 km from the Aberdeenshire coast at the closest point it was considered most effective to undertake public consultation virtually to ensure engagement across a broad geographic area.
  2. The Applicant held a virtual Public Exhibition between 22 January to 19 February 2024 to allow members of the public to visit the exhibition, meet members of the Ossian team and ask questions on the proposals for the Array whilst they are still in the pre-application development stage.
  3. The virtual Public Exhibition included a web form to allow visitors to provide comments on the proposals and request further information. The Public Exhibition materials remain live for stakeholders to view, and feedback continues to be accepted via a dedicated Ossian e-mail address and through planned engagement.
  4. The Applicant ran five targeted virtual question and answer (Q&A) sessions, as listed below, seeking to ensure feedback was received from as diverse a range of public groups as possible covering key aspects of the Array EIA. Feedback on these topics was received up until 01 March 2024.
  • Project introduction Q&A undertaken on 24 January 2024;
  • Biological and Physical EIA Q&A undertaken on 30 January 2024;
  • Supply chain Q&A undertaken on 09 February 2024;
  • Human EIA Q&A undertaken on 16 February 2024; and
  • General drop-in session undertaken on 28 February 2024.
  1. Consultation events were advertised in the Fishing News, the Courier (Dundee) and the Press and Journal (including their website and social media platforms) (see Table 5.3   Open ▸ ).

5.6.2. Stakeholder Engagement Manager

  1. Since the development of the Array, a dedicated Stakeholder Engagement Manager (SEM) has been in place to facilitate and support engagement with the community. They have carried out engagement with public, businesses and organisations in the form of virtual and in person meetings. The SEM is available 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, or alternatively by appointment outside of these hours. Contact details for the SEM have been made available on the Array website, and public exhibitions and online events.
  2. A mailing list has also been created for the Array and is managed by the SEM. This list will be expanded allows members of the public to opt-in to updates of the Array, such as notifications of upcoming public consultation sessions.

5.6.3. Information Provision and Awareness Raising

Fisheries Liaison Officer

  1. A Fisheries Liaison Officer (FLO) has been engaged on Ossian since September 2023 to act as a liaison between the Applicant and the fishing industry. The FLO has the delegated authority to fully represent the Applicant on fisheries related issues, such as attending necessary Commercial Fisheries Working Groups (CFWGs), when in place, and seeking agreement on any necessary works relating to the Array. The Applicant has appointed Natural Power to act as FLO on the Array and Proposed offshore export cable corridor(s) application. The Applicant are also supported by dedicated in-house Commercial Fisheries Manager to lead on the Applicant’s representation on strategic fisheries work.

Information provision, project website and digital information

  1. Stakeholders have had the opportunity to contact the Applicant via e-mail and the project website throughout the pre-Application phase. The SEM has made themself available for virtual, phone or in-person meetings whenever requested by stakeholders.
  2. A dedicated email address has been administered throughout the pre-Application phase at: contact@ossianwindfarm.com.
  3. A dedicated website was hosted by the Applicant and can be found here: https://www.ossianwindfarm.com/.
  4. The Ossian website has been kept up to date with relevant information including information on aspects of the wider project, ways to contact the project team and a document repository for stakeholders to access as required.
  5. The Applicant made available a digital version of the Array EIA Scoping Report (Ossian OWFL, 2023b) via the Ossian website to allow easy access and user flexibility. The Applicant will make digital versions of the Array EIA Report and Array Report to Inform Appropriate Assessment (RIAA) available following application submission.