Glossary

Term

Description

Appropriate Assessment

An assessment to determine the implications of a plan or project on a European site in view of that site’s conservation objectives. An Appropriate Assessment forms part of the Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) and is required when a plan or project (either alone or in combination with other plans or projects) is likely to have a significant effect on a European site.

Annex I Habitat

A natural habitat type of community interest, defined in Annex I of the Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive). The designation of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) is required in the UK to ensure the conservation of these habitats. The protection afforded to sites designated prior to EU Exit persists in UK law.

Annex II Species

Animal or plant species of community interest, defined in Annex II of the Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive). The designation of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) is required in the UK to ensure the conservation of these species. The protection afforded to sites designated prior to EU Exit persists in UK law.

Competent Authority

The term derives from the Habitats Regulations and relates to the exercise of the functions and duties under those Regulations. Competent authorities are defined in the Habitat Regulations as including "any Minister, government department, public or statutory undertaker, public body of any description or person holding a public office". In the context of a plan or project, the competent authority is the authority with the power or duty to determine whether or not the proposal can proceed (SNH, 2014).

EU Exit

The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union

European site

A Special Area of Conservation (SAC), or candidate SAC, (cSAC), a Special Protection Area (SPA), a site listed as a site of community importance (SCI), or, as per Scottish Planning policy (SPP), a possible SAC (pSAC) or potential SPA (pSPA). All Ramsar sites are also Natura 2000 sites (taken as European sites) and a protected under the relevant statutory regimes’ (SPP, paragraph 211 (published in 2014 as confirmed by Scottish Government (2019))

Firth of Forth Zone

A suitable area for the development of offshore wind identified and assessed through a statutory process of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) undertaken by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), now Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Habitats Regulations

 

The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994, the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 and the Conservation of Offshore Marine Habitats and Species 2017.

Habitat Regulations Appraisal

A process required by the Habitats Regulations of identifying likely significant effects of a plan or project on a European site and (where Likely Significant Effects are predicted or cannot be discounted) carrying out an appropriate assessment to ascertain whether the plan or project will adversely affect the integrity of the European. If adverse effects on integrity cannot be ruled out, the latter stages of the process require consideration of the derogation provisions in the Habitats Regulations.

Likely Significant Effect

Any effect that may reasonably be predicted as a consequence of a plan or project that may affect the conservation objectives of the features for which the European site was designated, but excluding trivial or inconsequential effects. A likely effect is one that cannot be ruled out on the basis of objective information. A ’significant’ effect is a test of whether a plan or project could undermine the site’s conservation objectives (SNH, 2014).

Migratory waterbirds

Species of waders and waterfowl that are ecologically dependant on wetlands and which make regular migrations along the coast of the UK and/or non-breeding individuals that overwinter in the UK.

National Site Network

The National Site Network comprises Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) designated (or proposed) on EU Exit day and which formerly formed part of the Natura 2000 network. The term “national site network” is used in each of the Habitats Regulations and the terms refer to the same network of sites ((Scottish Government, 2020).

Natura 2000 network

A coherent European ecological network of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas comprising sites located within European Union Member States.

Phase 1

Development of two offshore wind farms: Seagreen Alpha and Seagreen Bravo.

Proposed Development

All offshore infrastructure of the Berwick Bank Wind Farm, seaward of Mean High Water Springs (MHWS) which is the subject of this Screening Report.

Ramsar Site

Wetlands of international importance, designated under the Ramsar Convention.

Seabirds

Birds that spend most of their lives feeding and living on the open ocean, coming ashore only to breed.

Special Area of Conservation (SAC)

Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are areas designated for the conservation of certain plant and animals species listed in the Directive.

Site of Community Importance (SCI)

 

Defined in the Habitats Directive as a site which, in the biogeographical region or regions to which it belongs, contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration at a favourable conservation status of a natural habitat type in Annex I, or of a species in Annex II, of the Habitats Directive and may also contribute significantly to the coherence of the Natura 2000 network. The site may also contribute significantly to the maintenance of biological diversity within the biogeographic region or regions concerned. For animal species ranging over wide areas, SCIs shall correspond to the places within the natural range of such species which represent the physical or biological factors essential to their life and reproduction.

Special Protection Area (SPA)

Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are sites that are designated to protect rare or vulnerable birds (as listed on Annex I of the Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds), as well as regularly occurring migratory species.

 

Acronyms

Acronym

Description

AfL

Agreement for Lease

BBWL

Berwick Bank Wind Limited

BDMPS

Biologically Defined Minimum Population Scales

BEIS

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

CES

Crown Estate Scotland

CfD

Contract for Difference

CI

Confidence Interval

CJEU

The Court of Justice of the European Union

CL

Confidence Limit

cSAC

Candidate Special Area of Conservation

CTV

Crew Transfer Vessel

DDSFB

Dee District Salmon Fishery Board

DECC

Department of Energy and Climate Change

EEA

European Economic Area

EIA

Environmental Impact Assessment

EMF

Electromagnetic fields

EU

European Union

FCS

Favourable Conservation Status

FDSFB

Forth District Salmon Fisheries Board

FTOWDG

Forth and Tay Offshore Wind Developers Group

GW

Gigawatts

HAT

Highest Astronomical Tide

HDD

Horizontal Directional Drilling

HLV

Heavy Lift Vessel

HPDI

Highest Posterior Density Intervals

HRA

Habitat Regulations Appraisal

IMO

International Maritime Organization

INNS

Invasive Non-Indigenous Species

IROPI

Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public Interest

LAT

Lowest Astronomical Tide

LSE

Likely Significant Effect

MARPOL

The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships

MCAA

Marine and Coastal Access Act

MHWS

Mean High Water Springs

MS-LOT

Marine Scotland Licensing Operations Team

MSS

Marine Scotland Science

MU

Management Unit

NEPS

National Electrofishing Programme for

NS

NatureScot

NSIP

Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects

OSP

Offshore Substation Platform

OSPAR

Oslo-Paris

PAH

Polyarmomatic hydrocarbon

PCB

Polychlorinated biphenyl

PDE

Project Design Envelope

PEL

Probable Effect Level

PEMMP

Project Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan

pSAC

Possible Special Areas of Conservation

pSPA

Potential Special Protection Areas

PTS

Permanent Threshold Shift

RIAA

Report to Inform Appropriate Assessment

ROV

Remotely Operated Vehicle

RSPB

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

RTC

River Tweed Commission

SAC

Special Area of Conservation

SCI

Site of Community Importance

SD

Standard Deviation

SEA

Strategic Environmental Assessment

SMA

Seal Management Area

SMP

Seabird Monitoring Programme

SNCB

Statutory nature conservation bodies

SNH

Scottish Natural Heritage (now NatureScot)

SOV

Service Operations Vessel

SPA

Special Protection Area

SPP

Scottish Planning Policy

SPT

Scottish Power Transmission

SSC

Suspended Sediment Concentrations

SSER

SSE Renewables

SWEL

Seagreen Wind Energy Limited

TBT

Tributyl tin

TCE

The Crown Estate

TEL

Threshold Effect Level

TP

Transition Piece

UK

United Kingdom

UXO

Unexploded Ordnance

ZDA

Zone Develeopment Agreement

ZOI

Zone of Influence

 

Units

Unit

Description

GW

Gigawatt

ha

Hectare

km

Kilometre

km2

Square kilometre

m

Metre

m2

Square metre

m3

Cubic metre

mm

Millimetre

MW

Megawatt

nm

Nautical Mile