Informed Solutions are delighted to announce the launch of two new regulatory services that will support UK energy scheme developers, and the wider marine planning community, in managing development consents for Offshore Renewable Energy Installations (OREI’s).
Developed by Informed Solutions on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and accessed via DECC’s Energy Infrastructure Portal, developers can use the Safety Zone Consent Service to apply for a safety zone(s) around assets that make up an OREI. The Decommissioning Service will allow developers who construct, expand, operate or use an OREI to manage the process of obtaining approval for programmes that guide the decommissioning of installations at the end of their functional life.
The Safety Zone Consent Service and Decommissioning Service will be available for use by all developers and the marine community. DECC intends to work closely with these parties to evolve the services in a manner that will ensure maximum benefits for all stakeholders.
Giles Scott, Head of Development Consents and Planning Reform at DECC, said “These new services will ensure that stakeholders are clearly guided through Safety Zone Consent and Decommissioning Programme regulatory processes. The services will ensure that the consent process is intuitive, streamlined and transparent for all parties.“
The services will be integral in supporting the UK offshore energy industry in complying with international obligations and UK legislation. The new services will make the planning consent stages for Safety Zones and Decommissioning more efficient and facilitate greater participation from the stakeholder community, thereby supporting developers in focusing on the priorities of assessing environmental, safety and economic impact.
Tom Weeks, Informed Solutions’ Lead Consultant for the project, said “The services aim to encourage greater collaboration between DECC, other Government Departments, offshore energy scheme developers and the wider marine planning community, which in turn will help to promote safer offshore energy and UK seas.”
The Energy Infrastructure Portal provides an online, paperless service for managing the development and maintenance of the UK energy network. The Portal makes key regulatory services more accessible and coordinated, joining up and improving communications between all key stakeholders and consultees in the UK energy industry.
About Informed Solutions
Informed Solutions is Europe’s foremost independent consultancy in geographic and location based decision support systems and a leading Specialist Systems Integrator.
For more information contact us on:
Tel: +44 161 942 2000
E-mail: david.chapman@informed.com
Website: www.informed.com