Environment workshop

16 June 2011

Glasgow, Ireland

Organised by RGI, hosted by National Grid and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

Renewable energy technologies are now established and appreciated as a key means of producing electricity in a climate and environmentally friendly way. However, to transport the electricity from these new generation sites to the users, additional power lines are needed. These new lines can raise serious concerns regarding their impact on the environment, including biodiversity, ecosystems and the landscape.

The European Commission is currently working on a new legislation on permit granting procedures, to be released this fall, to ensure that the energy infrastructure needed for implementing the EU climate and energy targets will be built in time. For improving and shortening the current procedures, the way environmental impact assessments (EIA) will be carried out will be crucial. Environmental impacts of grid expansion are a legitimate concern and need to be fully understood and addressed.

For these reasons, on the 16th of June 2011, RGI organised its third workshop at the Strathclyde University of Glasgow to better understand environmental impacts of grids and to identify steps needed to enable the necessary grid expansion while safeguarding biodiversity, the environment, and citizens’ quality of life. State of the art strategic planning and environmental assessment were discussed, and innovative solutions for environmental enhancement explored.

A RGI Dinner provided an exclusive opportunity for informal talks and networking with other participants after the workshop. As a special feature, a visit of the Whitelee Windfarm, Europe’s largest wind farm, was offered on the following day.

Agenda

Prof. Stephen McArthur Director Institute of Energy and Environment, Strathclyde University

Speaker

Part I

Context

Antonella Battaglini Executive Director, RGI

Speaker

Dr Stephan Singer Director Global Energy Policy, WWF

Speaker

Markus Mipkow Officer for Ornithology and Bird Protection, NABU

Speaker

Nicole-Nabi Siefken Policy Officer, DG Energy European Commission

Speaker

Louise Wilks Business Strategy Manager for Future Networks, National Grid

Speaker

Colin Imrie Head of Energy and International Low Carbon Division, Scottish Government

Speaker

Part II

Working Groups 1 – Understanding environmental impacts of grids: What do we Know?

1. Impacts on species, habitats and ecosystems, their minimisation and opportunities for environmental enhancement
Chair: Guido Axmann | RGI / Thema1
Impulse: Aedán Smith | Head of Planning and Development, RSPB

2. Non-biodiversity impacts and their minimisation (e.g. transmission losses, landscape etc.) and innovative solutions and opportunities for environmental enhancement
Chair: Antonella Battaglini | ED, RGI
Impulse: Jhon van Veelen | Architect, Landschap in Verandering

Part III

Working Groups 2 – How to speed up grid development without sacrificing environmental achievements?

1. Developing environmental guidelines for grid planning: common knowledge, key elements, collaborative authorship
Chair: Antonella Battaglini | ED, RGI
Impulse: Ivan Scrase | Senior Climate Change Officer, RSPB | Presentation: 2011_June_16_RGIEnvironmentWS_Scrase_RSPB

2. Permitting legislation while keeping robust Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA): strategic alliances, political agenda, stakeholder engagement
Chair: Tor Inge Akselsen, Director of Communications, Statnett
Impulse: Daniel Fürstenwerth | RGI | Presentation: 2011_June_16_RGIEnvironmentWS_Fuerstenwerth_RGI