Vastavalt nimekirjale
13.04.2022 nr 7-12/22/1664-2
Saksamaa meretuulepargialade arendamise kava
muutmise piiriülene keskkonnamõju hindamine
Saksamaa on varakult teavitanud Eestit sellest, et Saksamaa Föderaalne Merendusamet on
algatanud meretuulepargialade arendamise kava täiendamise ja ajakohastamise menetluse ning
sellele korraldatakse ka keskkonnamõju strateegiline hindamine (KSH). Kõnealune menetlus
puudutab kava, mida viimati täiendati 2020. aastal. Arvestades, et tegemist on menetluse varajase
etapiga, on praeguseks koostatud kava esialgne eelnõu ning KSH aruande käsitlusala ja ulatuse
eelnõu. Mõlemad ingliskeelsed dokumendid on kirjale lisatud.
Meretuulepargialade arendamise kava põhineb mereala planeeringul ning sellega määratakse
kindlaks avamere tuuleenergia alad ja nende võrguühendus, sealhulgas ajaline järgnevus. Tegemist
on valdkondliku dokumendiga, mis käsitleb meretuuleparkide ja võrguühenduste arendamist
(laiendamist) Saksamaa majandusvööndis Põhjameres ning Läänemeres, teatud tingimustel ka
territoriaalvetes. Kokkuvõtlikult on kava eesmärgiks avamere tuuleenergia laiendamise
eesmärkide saavutamine.
Saksamaa küsib arvamust selle kohta, kas Eesti soovib osaleda edasises meretuulepargialade
arendamise kava täiendamise ja ajakohastamise ning selle KSH menetluses. Lähtuvalt Saksamaa
määratud vastamistähtajast ootame 2. maiks 2022 võimalikke arvamusi selle kohta, kas kava
elluviimisega võib Eestile kaasneda oluline keskkonnamõju, mistõttu Eesti peaks osalema
kõnealuses menetluses. Kui Te soovite esitada ettepanekuid lisatud materjalide kohta, palume need
saata Keskkonnaministeeriumile samuti 2. maiks 2022.
Lugupidamisega
(allkirjastatud digitaalselt)
Kaupo Heinma
Asekantsler
Lisad: 1. Lisa 1 – kava esialgne eelnõu
2. Lisa 2 – KSH aruande ulatuse eelnõu
Rainer Persidski, 626 2973
[email protected]
Paldiski mnt 96/ Tallinn 13522/ 626 2802/
[email protected]/ www.envir.ee/
Registrikood 70001231
Content I
Content
1 Introduction 1
2 Framework conditions for designations 2
Areas in the Maritime Spatial Plan 2
Assumptions on decommissioning of facilities 3
Identification of the expected generation capacity 4
Availability of suitable grid connection points 6
Availability of cable routes in the territorial sea 6
3 Intended designations 7
Introduction 1
1 Introduction Spatial Plan 2021. A total of 43 GW of offshore
wind capacity can probably be commissioned in
The Offshore Wind Energy Act (WindSeeG)1 the sites shown in table 1. In addition, a further
sets the target to increase the installed offshore 14.5 GW are expected to be in operation in
wind capacity to 20 GW by 2030 and to a total of Zones 1 and 2 in 2030 in accordance with the
40 GW by 2040. specifications of the FEP 2020. These sites suf-
With the Site Development Plan fice to achieve the targets set in the coalition
(Flächenentwicklungsplan – FEP) 2020, pub- agreement of 30 GW by 2030 and 40 GW by
lished on 18 December 2020, in a first step areas 2035. In order to achieve the expansion target of
for achieving the expansion target of 20 GW by 70 GW by 2045 set out in the coalition agree-
2030 were determined. This preliminary draft in- ment, a considerable amount of additional areas
itiates the process of updating the FEP. must be developed for the expansion of offshore
wind energy.
Now that the Maritime Spatial Plan (Raumord-
nungsplan - ROP) 2021 for the German exclu- This preliminary draft is to be the basis for deter-
sive economic zone (EEZ) of the North Sea and mining further tender quantities. For this pur-
Baltic Sea2 has come into force on 1 September pose, the areas in zones 3 to 5 of the EEZ are
2021 following extensive participation of the au- divided into sites. Furthermore, it has been pos-
thorities and the public, a spatial basis for the fur- sible to achieve an increase in capacity by ad-
ther expansion of offshore wind energy in the justing the site layout. These measures contrib-
EEZ has become available. On this basis, further ute to supporting the achievement of the in-
areas for the expansion of offshore wind energy creased targets for the expansion of offshore
can be defined within the framework of an up- wind energy.
dated FEP. Following consultation on this preliminary draft,
The coalition agreement concluded on 7 Decem- it is expected that a developed draft FEP will be
ber 2021 between the SPD, BÜNDNIS 90/DIE put out for consultation in mid-2022.
GRÜNEN and the FDP provides for an increase
in the targets for the expansion of offshore wind
energy to 30 GW by 2030, 40 GW by 2035 and
70 GW by 2045. To achieve these targets, the
additional commissioning of offshore wind farms
by 2030 is required. This preliminary draft does
not yet contain any information on calendar
years for tendering and commissioning of the
sites and grid connection systems, because an
acceleration of the currently planned commis-
sioning years is to be expected. The preliminary
draft of the FEP initially maps the areas and sites
that were defined as priority and reservation ar-
eas for offshore wind energy in the Maritime
1 Act of 13 October 2016, Federal Law Gazette I p. 2258, 2 Ordinance on Spatial Planning in the German Exclusive
2310, last amended by Article 1 Act Amending the Offshore Economic Zone in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea of 19
Wind Energy Act and Other Provisions of 03.12.2020, Fed- August 2021, BGBl. I p. 3886
eral Law Gazette 2682.
2 Framework conditions for designations
2 Framework conditions for (North Sea) as defined in the FEP 2020. In the
Maritime Spatial Plan these areas were defined
designations as priority areas EO1 to EO3 (Baltic Sea) and
EN1 to EN3 and EN6 to EN13 (North Sea).
Areas in the Maritime Spatial
In addition, reservation areas for offshore wind
Plan energy have been defined. These aim at secur-
The Maritime Spatial Plan for the German EEZ, ing areas for the further expansion of offshore
which came into force on 1 September 2021, is wind energy.
an overall spatial plan that brings together the in-
Individual areas are designated as conditional
terests of various uses. It safeguards and devel-
priority or conditional reservation areas. These
ops the functions and uses of the sea, taking into
are designated as areas for offshore wind energy
account the ecosystem approach. The Maritime
use unless, by a certain date, the competent fed-
Spatial Plan regulates area categories (priority
eral ministry provides compelling reasons that
and reserved areas), as well as other objectives
the respective area is required for other uses.
and principles, for various uses at a strategic
planning level. The Maritime Spatial Plan has de- The area designation in the Maritime Spatial
fined new priority and reservation areas for off- Plan for the EEZ in the North Sea (Figure 1) and
shore wind energy. in the Baltic Sea (Figure 2) form the basis for the
amendment and updating of the sectoral plan-
The starting point for defining priority areas for
ning in the FEP.
offshore wind energy were initially the areas O-1
and O-3 (Baltic Sea), N-1 to N-3 and N-6 to N-13
Figure 1: Designations of the 2021 Maritime Spatial Plan for offshore wind energy in the North Sea
Framework conditions for designations 3
Figure 2: Designations of the 2021 Maritime Spatial Plan for offshore wind energy in the Baltic Sea
Offshore wind farms that are commissioned by
Assumptions on decommission-
2021 generally receive feed-in tariffs under the
ing of facilities Renewable Energies Act (Erneuerbare-Ener-
The first offshore wind farms in the German EEZ gien-Gesetz – EEG) for a period of 20 years. Af-
were commissioned from 2009 onwards. By ter that, direct marketing of the electricity gener-
2040, a significant number of wind turbines are ated is possible.
expected to have reached the end of their ser-
According to the current state of knowledge, it
vice life and to have been dismantled. In order to
can be assumed that no electricity production
reliably achieve the statutory expansion targets,
can take place on the areas between decommis-
reasonable assumptions must be made about
sioning and subsequent use for a certain period
the extent of the expected decommissioning.
of time, so that the decommissioned capacity
The permits or planning approval decisions for must be compensated for by the designation of
the offshore wind farms currently in operation additional areas in order to achieve the statutory
were generally granted for a limited period of targets. The amount of space required for this
25 years, with an extension of a further five years depends largely on how orderly and coordinated
possible on application in accordance with § 48 decommissioning and subsequent use of the site
para. 7 sentence 2 WindSeeG if the FEP does can be. This preliminary draft uses consultation
not provide for any direct subsequent use of the questions to prepare for the establishment of
site. provisions on the subject of decommissioning.
4 Framework conditions for designations
Identification of the expected tion have turned out to be the most important fac-
generation capacity tors. However, since the characteristics of the ar-
eas to be considered vary greatly, it does not ap-
The aim of identifying the expected generation
pear to be expedient to determine the expected
capacity is to ensure the expansion of offshore
generation capacity solely on the basis of the
wind energy and offshore connection systems in
methodology introduced in the Site Development
parallel and consequently to achieve the expan-
Plan 2020. In order to determine the expected
sion targets for offshore wind energy. On the ba-
generation capacity of the respective site, an as-
sis of this determination, the required capacity of
sessment is therefore made on a case-by-case
the offshore grid connection cable can be deter-
basis, taking into account the increase in in-
mined. This ensures the orderly and efficient use
stalled capacity and the achievement of the set
of offshore grid connection lines and an appro-
expansion targets, the possibilities for grid con-
priate designation for the cables required to con-
nection with standard grid connection concepts,
nect this area to the grid.
and the expected annual energy generation, tak-
Furthermore, the anticipated tender volume for ing into account losses due to wake effects.
the respective area is predetermined by specify-
The adjusted power density as a target value for
ing the expected generation capacity. However,
determining the expected generation capacity
the actual share of the respective area in the ten-
was increased as much as advisable within the
der volume is determined later in the process on
framework of an overall assessment in view of
the basis of the offshore site investigation in the
the increased expansion targets for offshore
suitability assessment for the respective site, as
wind energy, compared to the planning in the
set out in the ordinance for the implementation
Site Development Plan 2020. For this reason,
of the Offshore Wind Energy Act (Windenergie-
the division of areas N-9 and N-10 into sites and
auf-See-Verordnung – WindSeeV) in accord-
their expected generation capacity have been
ance with § 12 para. 5 WindSeeG. Therefore, the
adjusted compared to the Site Development
generation capacity to be installed as deter-
Plan 2020.
mined in the offshore site investigation may de-
viate from the specifications of the Site Develop- With this increase in power density, the genera-
ment Plan. tion capacity on the sites can be increased over-
all, but the utilisation of the wind farms will be
The methodology for determining the expected
significantly reduced due to the expected losses
generation capacity for a site was consulted as
from wake effects (see background information
part of the Site Development Plan 2020.
on the following page).
To determine the expected annual electricity
In order to outline the expansion path for the pe-
production in various expansion scenarios, tak-
riod after 2030, the expected generation capac-
ing into account large scale wake effects, the
ity in areas N-11 to N-13 was presented for infor-
BSH has commissioned a scientific report. The
mation purposes in the annex of the Site Devel-
first interim report, which is being published to-
opment Plan 2020. With reference to the need
gether with this preliminary draft, already con-
for further investigations into the extensive wake
tains the results of initial modelling cases. It
losses of the wind farms and the ongoing proce-
shows that the efficiency of electricity generation
dure for updating the maritime spatial plan in the
depends on a large number of factors. The in-
EEZ, the possible capacity was given with a
stalled capacity per area of the wind farm, the
range of 8 to 10 GW. As a result of the specifica-
size of the continuous area and the inflow situa-
tions in the Maritime Spatial Plan 2021, the size
of areas N-11 to N-13 has increased compared
Framework conditions for designations 5
to the specifications in the Site Development
Plan 2020. Against this background, the desig-
nation of 12 GW in areas N-11 to N-13 appears
possible in an overall assessment.
Background information: Development of full load hours
When determining the expected generation capacity to be installed on a site, the increase in in-
stalled capacity and its contribution to achieving the target, the cost efficiency of electricity
generation and the efficient use and utilisation of grid connections must be weighed against
each other.
The annual energy yield corresponds to the amount of electricity that can be produced in the
course of a year. If the installed generation capacity on a site is increased, the annual energy yield
and thus the amount of electricity that can be produced on a site increases.
Every wind turbine extracts kinetic energy from the air flow for electricity production and also causes
turbulence in the air layers in the wake of the turbine. These so-called wake effects imply that less
kinetic energy is available to a lee-side turbine - thus reducing the utilisation of this turbine. The full
load hours are used as a measure for the utilisation of a wind turbine or wind farm. They represent
the number of hours in a year during which the wind farm generates energy at full load.
In order to improve the level of knowledge on the link between power density and full load hours,
the long-term yield potential in various expansion scenarios is being modelled as part of a scientific
report. It is shown that with increasing expansion of offshore wind energy and an increase in power
density to the extent proposed in this preliminary draft, average full load hours of approx. 3,100 3h/a
can be expected in zones 1 to 3. Despite a reduction of the cost efficiency of electricity generation
and the utilisation of the grid connection systems, the annual energy yield can still be increased
overall through the increased installed generation capacity. With regard to achieving the expansion
targets for offshore wind energy, the reduction in the overall utilisation of the wind farms and grid
connections must be weighed against achieving the expansion targets and increasing total electric-
ity generation.
3
Compared to the first interim report of the accompanying scientific report (Baumgärtner et al. , 2021. Further development
of the framework conditions for planning offshore wind turbines and grid connection systems, First interim report. Fraun-
hofer IWES on behalf of the BSH), the modelled annual energy yield was additionally reduced by 9.5 percent to reflect
losses due to technical unavailability, electrical and other losses (Falkenberg et al., 2020. Future framework conditions for
the design of offshore wind farms and their grid connection systems, Final Report. Prognos AG on behalf of the BSH).
6 Framework conditions for designations
Availability of suitable grid con- According to table 1, compared to the Site De-
nection points velopment Plan 2020 there are one additional
grid connection system in the Baltic Sea with a
Ever since its 2019-2030 edition, the Network
capacity of 1 GW and 18 additional grid connec-
Development Plan (Netzentwicklungsplan –
tion systems in the North Sea with a capacity of
NEP) has also contained all effective measures
2 GW each.
for the needs-based optimisation, reinforcement
and expansion of the offshore grid connections The connection system in the Baltic Sea serves
in the EEZ and in the territorial sea, including the to connect the additional sites in area O-2 and is
grid connection points onshore which will be re- expected to be routed via gate O-I to the territo-
quired by the end of the period under considera- rial sea of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
tion in accordance with section 12a (1) sentence The additional grid connection systems in the
2 of the EnWG. The specifications of the Net- North Sea are to be routed to gates N-II and N-
work Development Plan and Site Development III in the direction of Lower Saxony and to gate
Plan must be aligned. N-V in the direction of Schleswig-Holstein.
Due to the uncertainty regarding the acceleration According to the current state of knowledge, it is
potential of grid connections with regard to the possible to route two further systems via gate N-
expansion targets outlined in the coalition agree- II. The total capacity of gate N-III has not been
ment, this preliminary draft refrains from naming conclusively determined, but according to find-
calendar years for the commissioning of grid ings from the "Seetrassen 2030" project, a po-
connection systems. tential total of 13 systems could be conceivable.
Availability of cable routes in the The state of Schleswig-Holstein does not specify
a maximum number of connection systems for
territorial sea
gate N-V to Schleswig-Holstein.
Pursuant to § 5 para. 1 no. 8 WindSeeG, the Site
Development Plan specifies locations where the
offshore grid connections cross the boundary
between the EEZ and the territorial sea (so-
called gates).
The routes planned in the Site Development
Plan must be able to be reasonably routed
through the territorial sea to the grid connection
point. For coordination with the coastal states,
the gates serve as locations where the offshore
grid connections cross the border between the
EEZ and the territorial sea. In this way, the cable
systems are to be concentrated as far as possi-
ble at these points and bundled for further rout-
ing towards the grid connection point. The rout-
ing in the territorial sea is not determined in the
Site Development Plan; this is the responsibility
of other bodies in the procedures provided for
this purpose.
Intended designations 7
3 Intended designations available to contribute to the expansion target
because of the time lag between decommission-
This preliminary draft of the Site Development ing and subsequent use of the sites (cf. chapter
Plan only presents the intended designations of 2.2).
spatial capacity of areas and sites, the expected
The basis for the intended designations of this
generation capacity and the required capacity of
preliminary draft are the priority and reservation
the associated offshore grid connection sys-
areas for offshore wind energy as shown in the
tems. Due to the expected acceleration of devel-
Maritime Spatial Plan 2021.
opments, the calendar year in which areas will
be put out to tender and the commissioning date Note: The size of a site is only of limited suitabil-
for sites and grid connection systems will not be ity as an indicator for the volume of the expected
specified at this stage. Similarly, no statements generation capacity. In addition to size, site ge-
are made on the spatial course of the connection ometry and the underlying turbine technology
lines, the associated gates to the territorial sea are essential aspects in determining the poten-
or possible grid connection points. Even though tial generation capacity on a site. For this reason,
the intended timeframes are not yet presented in the Site Development Plan 2020 introduced the
this preliminary draft, the order in which the sites corrected power density as a comparative value
and grid connection systems are presented in (cf. chapter 4.7 of the FEP 2020). Here, the gen-
Table 1 can be used as an indicator of the prob- eration capacity that is expected to be installed
able order of implementation. is related to the corrected size of the site, which
buffers the designated site with an additional
Compared to the designations of the Site Devel-
spacing of half the minimum distance between
opment Plan 2020, the spatial designation and
two turbines. This makes it possible to compare
expected generation capacity in areas N-9 and
sites of different sizes and geometries. To allow
N-10 were adjusted to allow for an overall in-
for a comparison of the sites, Table 1 also shows
crease in the installed capacity. In table 1 the
the corrected power density. For calculating the
corresponding sites in areas N-9 and N-10 are
corrected power density, a buffer distance of 600
therefore also shown. In total, 43 GW of wind en-
m was selected for the sites in zone 3, and a
ergy can probably be installed on the sites
buffer distance of 700 m for the sites in zones 4
shown. A further 14.5 GW are expected to be in
and 5 due to the expected development in tur-
operation in Zones 1 and 2 in 2030 in accord-
bine technology.
ance with the determinations of the Site Devel-
opment Plan 2020. Due to the significant decom-
missioning of existing wind farms from 2035 on-
wards, a certain share of the sites will not be
8 Intended designations
Table 1: Intended designations for areas, sites, expected generation capacity and grid connection systems
Area Site Grid connection system
Name area Name site Size [km²] Expected ge- Corrected Name grid Capacity grid
neration capa- power density connection connection
city [MW] [MW/km²] system system [MW]
N-9 N-9.1 76 1.000 10,5
NOR-9-1 2.000
N-9 N-9.2 76 1.000 10,9
N-9 N-9.3 76 1.000 10,5
NOR-9-2 2.000
N-9 N-9.4 77 1.000 10,6
N-9 N-9.5 106 1.500 11,2
NOR-9-3 2.000
N-10 N-10.3 31 500 10,7
N-10 N-10.1 75 1.000 10,6
NOR-10-1 2.000
N-10 N-10.2 73 1.000 10,3
O-2* O-2.2 93 1.000 7,3 OST-2-4 1.000
N-12 N-12.1 95 1.000 8,5
NOR-12-1 2.000
N-12 N-12.2 97 1.000 8,4
N-12 N-12.3 87 1.000 9,3
NOR-12-2 2.000
N-12 N-12.4 86 1.000 9,5
N-12 N-12.5 81 1.000 9,4
NOR-12.3 2.000
N-13 N-13.2 95 1.000 8,6
N-11 N-11.1 92 1.000 8,7
NOR-11-1 2.000
N-11 N-11.2 88 1.000 9,2
N-11 N-11.3 100 1.000 8,2
N-11 N-11.4 41 500 8,7 NOR-11-2 2.000
N-13 N-13.1 52 500 7,5
N-13 N-13.3 94 1.000 8,7
NOR-13-1 2.000
N-13 N-13.4 90 1.000 8,7
N-14 N-14.1 73 1.000 9,7
NOR-14-1 2.000
N-14 N-14.2 65 1.000 11,1
N-15 N-15.1 74 1.000 10,1
NOR-15-1 2.000
N-15 N-15.2 53 1.000 11,0
N-16 N-16.1 69 1.000 10,4
NOR-16-1 2.000
N-16 N-16.2 77 1.000 10,2
N-16 N-16.3 69 1.000 10,9
NOR-16-2 2.000
N-16 N-16.4 61 1.000 10,6
N-17 N-17.1 84 1.000 8,1
NOR-17-1 2.000
N-18 N-18.1 64 1.000 11,3
N-18 N-18.2 61 1.000 11,0
NOR-18-1 2.000
N-18 N-18.3 53 1.000 11,5
N-17 N-17.2 70 1.000 10,9
NOR-17-1 2.000
N-17 N-17.3 75 1.000 10,2
N-19 N-19.1 82 1.000 9,5
NOR-19-1 2.000
N-19 N-19.2 80 1.000 10,4
N-19 N-19.3 92 1.000 8,8
NOR-19-2 2.000
N-19 N-19.4 89 1.000 9,3
N-19 N-19.5 74 1.000 10,6
NOR-19-3 2.000
N-19 N-19.6 82 1.000 9,5
N-17 N-17.4 73 1.000 10,2
NOR-17-2 2.000
N-20** N-20.1 67 1.000 10,6
Total 43.000
* Area O-2 includes parts of both the priority area EO2 and the conditional reservation area EO2-West defined in the
Maritime Spatial Plan 2021. However, the intended designation to the extent shown, as well as the expected capacity to
be installed in area O-2.2, is dependent on the outcome of the spatial planning assessment, which results from Principle 2
of chapter 2.2.2 of the Maritime Spatial Plan 2021.
Intended designations 9
** The area N-20 corresponds to the conditional area EN20 of the Maritime Spatial Plan 2021. The intended designation
is dependent on the result of the spatial planning assessment, which results from Principle 2 of chapter 2.2.2 of the Maritime
Spatial Plan 2021.
Figure 3 Intended designations of areas and sites in the EEZ of the North Sea
10 Intended designations
Figure 4 Intended designations of areas and sites in the EEZ of the Baltic Sea
Questions for consultation
Assumptions on decomissioning
F.1 What do you estimate is the expected operating time of existing offshore wind farms and
grid connection systems? Do you consider it likely that the wind farms will be operated
beyond the funding period of 20 years? What are your estimates regarding the maximum
technical lifetime of wind turbines, platforms and cables?
F.2 What framework conditions must be observed when dismantling individual components (in
particular foundation structures, cabling within wind farms, cable crossings? What proce-
dures will likely be available for decommissioning wind farms in the period up to 2040?
F.3 What period of time is a reasonable assumption for the decommissioning and dismantling
of a wind farm including all ancillary facilities?
F.4 After dismantling, do you consider it sensible to use existing components (e.g. foundation
structures, platforms) in the context of subsequent use or should the aim be to completely
decommission the existing wind farm? How do you prove the stability of the components
in question (e.g. foundation structures) in the event of subsequent use?
Intended designations 11
Determination of expected generation capacity
F.5 Against the background of the modelling results set out in the first scientific interim report
(available in German language only on the BSH website), and taking into account the ex-
pansion targets stated in the coalition agreement, how do you rate the intended designa-
tions with regard to the expected generation capacity?
Offshore grid connection systems
F.6 In the case of the NOR-9-3 and NOR-17-1 grid connection systems listed above, and given
the distance between the areas and the required crossings with existing lines, do you con-
sider a direct connection feasible or are transformer platforms required for these areas?
Assumptions on the model wind farm in the draft scope for the Strategic Environmental Assess-
ment (separate document)
F.7 In your opinion, how appropriate are the assumptions for the framework parameters of
offshore wind farms and grid connection systems as well as platforms for the Strategic
Environmental Assessment against the background of expected technological develop-
ment?
F.8 Given technological developments and increasing water depths, what are reasonable as-
sumptions regarding the spatial requirements for foundations and scour protection? Is it
reasonable to scale up the space required for monopile foundations? Which foundation
variants seem realistic with increasing turbine size and water depth? Are there preferred
foundations for the context of re-use? How should these foundations be assessed in terms
of their spatial requirements compared to monopile foundations?
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Content I
Content
1 Introduction 1
Legal basis and tasks of the environmental assessment 1
Definition of the scope of the investigation 2
Outline of the content and the main objectives of the site
development plan 3
2 Relationship to other relevant plans, programmes and
projects 4
Spatial development plans in adjacent areas 4
2.1.1 Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 4
2.1.2 Lower Saxony 4
2.1.3 Schleswig-Holstein 5
MSFD Programme of Measures 5
Management plans for nature conservation areas in the EEZ 5
Staged planning procedure for offshore wind energy and power
lines (central model) 6
2.4.1 Maritime Spatial Planning (EEZ) 7
2.4.2 Site development plan 8
2.4.3 Aptitude test as part the preliminary investigation 9
2.4.4 Approval procedure (planning approval and planning licensing
procedure) for offshore wind turbines 10
2.4.5 Approval procedure for grid connections (converter platforms and
submarine cable systems) 11
2.4.6 Cross-border submarine cable systems 11
3 Presentation and consideration of environmental protection
objectives 14
International conventions on marine environmental protection 14
3.1.1 Globally applicable conventions that are wholly or partly aimed at
protecting the marine environment 14
3.1.2 Regional agreements on marine environmental protection 14
3.1.3 Agreements specific to protected assets 14
Environmental and nature conservation requirements at EU
level 15
Environmental and nature conservation requirements at national
level 15
II Content
4 Strategic Environmental Assessment methodology 16
Examination room 17
Implementation of the environmental assessment 19
Criteria for the description and assessment of the condition 21
Consideration of climate change 24
Assumptions used to describe and assess the likely significant
impacts 25
4.5.1 Cumulative consideration 26
4.5.2 Interrelationships 27
4.5.3 Specific assumptions for the assessment of the likely significant
environmental effects 27
5 Data basis 29
Overview of data and knowledge base 30
Indications of difficulties in compiling the documents 30
6 Presentation of the individual assessment steps in the
environmental report 31
Description and assessment of the state of the environment 32
Anticipated development if the plan is not implemented 32
Description and assessment of the likely significant effects of the
implementation of the plan on the marine environment 33
Examination of reasonable alternatives 34
Measures to prevent, reduce and offset significant negative
impacts of the site development plan on the marine environment 34
Measures planned to monitor the environmental impact of
implementing the site development plan 35
7 References 36
8 Annex 37
Content III
List of figures
Figure 1 Overview of the staged planning and approval process in the EEZ. .................................. 7
Figure 2 Overview of the protected assets in the environmental assessments. ............................... 7
Figure 3 Overview of the focal points of environmental assessments in the planning and approval
process. ........................................................................................................................................ 13
Figure 4 Overview of the normative levels of the relevant legal acts for SEA. ............................... 16
Figure 5 Delimitation of the investigation area for the SEA of the site development plan in the North
Sea. .............................................................................................................................................. 18
Figure 6 Delimitation of the investigation area for the SEA of the site development plan in the Baltic
Sea. .............................................................................................................................................. 18
Figure 7 General methodology for the assessment of likely significant environmental effects. ...... 21
Figure 8 Exemplary cumulative effect of similar uses. ................................................................... 27
Figure 9 Components of the environmental report. ....................................................................... 32
List of tables
Table 1 Overview of potentially significant impacts if the FEP is implemented (t=temporary effects).
..................................................................................................................................................... 25
Table 2 Model parameters for the consideration of the areas and sites. ........................................ 28
Table 3 Parameters for the consideration of grid connections and platforms ................................. 28
Table 4 Parameters for the consideration of submarine cable systems ......................................... 29
IV Content
List of abbreviations
ASCOBANS Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas
EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone
BBergG Federal Mining Act
BfN Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
BGBl Federal Law Gazette
BMI Federal Ministry of the Interior, for Building and Homeland
BMUB Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Construction and Reactor
Safety
BNatSchG Law on nature conservation and landscape management (Federal Nature Conservation
Act)
BSH Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency
CMS Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
EEG Law for the expansion of renewable energies (Renewable Energy Sources Act)
EIA Environmental impact assessment
EUROBATS Agreement on the conservation of European bat populations
Federal Network
Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railway
Agency
FEP Site development plan
FFH Flora Fauna Habitat
GW Gigawatt
HELCOM Helsinki Commission
MARPOL International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
MRO Maritime spatial planning
MSRL Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008
establishing a Framework for Community Action in the field of Marine Environmental Pol-
icy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive)
NSG Nature reserve
OSPAR Oslo-Paris-Übereinkommen (Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of
the North-East Atlantic)
ROG Spatial Planning Act
ROP Spatial development plan
SPEC Species of European Conservation Concern (Important species for bird conservation in
Europe)
StUK4 Standard "Investigation of the effects of offshore wind energy plants".
SUP Strategic Environmental Assessment
SUP-RL Directive 2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2001 on
the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment
(SEA Directive)
UBA Federal Environment Agency
UVPG Law on environmental impact assessment
UVS Environmental impact study
V-RL Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November
2009 on the conservation of wild birds (Birds Directive)
WindSeaG Act on the development and promotion of offshore wind energy (Wind Energy at Sea Act)
Introduction 1
1 Introduction SEA was carried out and an environmental re-
port was prepared for each of the German
EEZs in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. The up-
Legal basis and tasks of the
date of the FEP will essentially build on the pro-
environmental assessment visions of the maritime spatial planning for off-
In accordance with Sections 4 et seq. of the shore wind energy and transmission lines and
Wind Energy at Sea Act (WindSeeG), the BSH develop them in terms of sectoral planning.
prepares a Site Development Plan (FEP) in
Against this background, the SEA for the up-
agreement with the Federal Network Agency
date of the FEP will also be based essentially
(BNetzA) and in coordination with the Federal
on the results of the SEA carried out in the spa-
Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), the Di-
tial planning update procedure: According to §
rectorate-General for Waterways and Shipping
5 para. 3 sentence 4 WindSeeG in conjunction
(GDWS) and the federal coastal states. The
with. § Section 39 (3) sentence 3 UVPG, the
FEP was last updated in 2020. A new update
SEA to be carried out in the procedure for
will be initiated on 17 December 2021.
amending and updating the FEP is to be limited
During the preparation of the FEP, a detailed to additional or other significant environmental
environmental assessment within the meaning impacts compared to the SEA for the ROP, as
of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act well as to necessary updates and deepening.
(UVPG)1, the so-called Strategic Environmen-
The SEA for the update of the FEP is also
tal Assessment (SEA), was carried out. The en-
based on the environmental reports on the
vironmental reports were published together
preparation and update of the FEP from the
with the final plan on 28.06.2019. The imple-
years 2019 and 2020. Insofar as new findings
mentation of an SEA with the preparation of an
on existing determinations should be available
environmental report is based on § 35 para. 1
and are relevant, these are also taken into ac-
no. 1 UVPG in connection with. No. 1.17 of An-
count.
nex 5, as site development plans are subject to
the SEA obligation pursuant to Section 5 Wind- In the following, the scope of the assessment is
SeeG. In principle, this also applies if the FEP therefore limited to additional or other signifi-
is updated or amended. cant environmental impacts as well as to nec-
essary updates and deepening. This follows for
In the context of the update initiated on 17 De-
the reference to the environmental reports of
cember 2021, areas and sites will be identified
the spatial development plan from Section 39
for the implementation of the energy policy ob-
(3) sentence 3 UVPG. With regard to the refer-
jectives that go beyond the FEP 2020 and are
ence to environmental reports on the existing
therefore also not covered by the SEA carried
FEP, the aforementioned limitation of the
out in this procedure.
scope of the assessment is based on the fact
In contrast to the last update of the FEP, with that in the absence of indications of actual
the completion of the update procedure for changes in the circumstances, no new assess-
maritime spatial planning, a spatial plan 2021 ment needs to take place.
for the German EEZ of the North Sea and Baltic
Sea (ROP)2 is now available, which came into
force on 1 September 2021. As part of the spa-
tial planning update process, a comprehensive
1 In the version published on 24 February 2010, Federal 2 Ordinance on Spatial Planning in the German Exclusive
Law Gazette I p. 94, last amended by Article 2 of the Act Economic Zone in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea of 19
of 30 November 2016 (Federal Law Gazette I p. 2749). August 2021, BGBl. I p. 3886.
2 Introduction
According to Art. 1 of the SEA Directive tion 39 (1) UVPG). The authorities whose envi-
2001/42/EC, the objective of strategic environ- ronmental and health-related area of responsi-
mental assessment is to ensure a high level of bility is affected by the plan or programme are
environmental protection in order to promote involved in determining the scope of the Stra-
sustainable development and to contribute to tegic Environmental Assessment as well as the
ensuring that environmental considerations are scope and level of detail of the information to
adequately taken into account in the prepara- be included in the Environmental Report (cf.
tion and adoption of plans well in advance of Section 39 para. 4 sentence 1 UVPG). Pursu-
their actual planning. ant to Section 6 (4) sentence 1 WindSeeG, the
scope of the assessment is determined on the
The Strategic Environmental Assessment has
basis of the results of the hearing.
the task of identifying the likely significant envi-
ronmental effects of implementing the plan, de- The scope of the investigation is determined,
scribing them at an early stage in an environ- taking into account § 33 UVPG in conjunction
mental report and evaluating them. It serves to with § 2 para. 1 UVPG, in accordance with the
ensure effective environmental precaution in legal provisions governing the decision to pre-
accordance with the applicable laws and is car- pare, adopt or amend the plan. This is limited
ried out according to uniform principles and by the fact that the environmental report only
with public participation. All protected assets contains information that can be determined
pursuant to Article 2 (1) UVPG are to be con- with reasonable effort. In doing so, it takes into
sidered: account the current state of knowledge and
public statements known to the authority, gen-
people, especially human health,
erally accepted auditing methods, the content
animals, plants and biodiversity, and level of detail of the plan and its position in
area, soil, water, air, climate and land- the decision-making process. The authorities
scape, whose environmental and health-related tasks
cultural heritage and other tangible as- are affected by the plan or programme shall be
sets, and involved in determining the scope of the Stra-
tegic Environmental Assessment and the
the interactions between the above-
scope and level of detail of the information to
mentioned protected assets.
be included in the environmental report (cf. Art.
The main content document of the Strategic 39 para. 4 sentence 1 UVPG). According to § 6
Environmental Assessment will be the Environ- para. 4 sentence 1 WindSeeG, the scope of the
mental Report to be prepared. This report shall investigation is determined on the basis of the
identify, describe and assess the likely signifi- results of the hearing.
cant environmental effects of the implementa-
tion of the FEP and possible alternative plan- The present draft of the scope for the environ-
ning options, taking into account the main pur- mental assessment applies both to the EEZs of
poses of the plan. the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Regionally
different bases or methods of the SEA are
Definition of the scope of marked accordingly.
the investigation
At the beginning of the Strategic Environmental
Assessment, the scope for the environmental
assessment, including the required scope and
level of detail of the information to be included
in the environmental report, is defined (cf. Sec-
Introduction 3
Outline of the content and 3. the chronological order in which the
the main objectives of the specified areas are to come up for ten-
site development plan der under Part 3 Section 2, including the
According to § 4 para. 1 WindSeeG, it is the designation of the respective calendar
purpose of the FEP to draw up sectoral plan- years,
ning specifications for the exclusive economic 4. the calendar years including the quarter
zone (EEZ) of the Federal Republic of Ger- in the respective calendar year in which
many. the surcharged offshore wind turbines
§ Section 4 (2) of the WindSeeG stipulates that, and the corresponding offshore con-
for the expansion of offshore wind turbines and necting cables are to be commissioned
offshore connecting lines required for this pur- on the specified sites, as well as the
pose, the Site Development Plan shall draw up quarters in the respective calendar year
rules with the aim of in which the cable installation of the in-
ner park cabling of the surcharged off-
achieving the expansion targets pursu- shore wind turbines is to be carried out
ant to § 1 para. 2 sentence 1 Wind- at the converter platform or the trans-
SeeG, former platform,
expanding electricity generation from
5. the expected capacity of offshore wind
offshore wind turbines in a spatially or-
turbines to be installed in the designated
dered and compact manner, and
areas and on the designated sites,
ensuring an ordered and efficient utili-
sation and loading of offshore connec- 6. Locations of converter platforms, collec-
tion lines and planning, installation, tor platforms and, where possible, sub-
commissioning and use of offshore stations,
connection lines in parallel with the ex- 7. Routes or route corridors for offshore
pansion of electricity generation from connecting cables,
offshore wind turbines.
8. Locations where the offshore connect-
According to the statutory mandate of section 5 ing cables cross the boundary between
subsection 1 of the Offshore Wind Energy Act, the exclusive economic zone and the
the Site Development Plan contains designa- territorial sea,
tions for the period from 2026 to at least 2030
for the German EEZ and in accordance with the 9. Routes or route corridors for cross-bor-
following provisions for coastal waters: der power cables,
10. routes or corridors for possible connec-
1. areas; in the territorial sea, areas can tions between the installations, routes or
only be designated if the competent corridors mentioned in numbers 1, 2, 6,
Land has identified the areas as a pos- 7 and 9; and
sible subject of the Land development
plan, 11. standardised technical principles and
planning principles.
2. sites in the areas determined in accord-
ance with number 1; in the territorial
sea, sites may only be determined if the
For the period from 2021 onwards, the FEP
competent Land has designated the
may designate available grid connection ca-
sites as a possible subject of the land
pacities on existing offshore connection lines or
development plan,
on offshore connecting cables to be completed
in the following years for areas in the German
4 Relationship to other relevant plans, programmes and projects
EEZ and in the territorial sea, these may be al- 2 Relationship to other rel-
located to pilot offshore wind turbines in ac-
cordance with section 70 (2) of the WindSeeG. evant plans, pro-
The FEP may make spatial specifications for grammes and projects
the construction of pilot offshore wind turbines
in areas and designate the technical conditions The FEP relates to other plans and pro-
of the offshore connecting cable and the result- grammes within the EEZ, in adjacent areas,
ing technical requirements for the grid connec- particularly in the territorial sea, and to plans
tion of pilot offshore wind turbines. and projects at upstream and downstream
planning and approval levels.
Pursuant to § 5 para. 2a WindSeeG, the FEP
may designate other energy production areas Spatial development plans
outside of areas.
in adjacent areas
In accordance with § 3 No. 8 WindSeeG, an In the interests of coherent planning, coordina-
other energy production area is an area outside tion processes with the plans of the coastal fed-
areas on which offshore wind turbines and eral states and neighbouring states are advisa-
other energy production installations, each of ble and must be taken into account in the cu-
which is not connected to the grid, can be - mulative and, where relevant, transboundary
erected in spatial coherence and which is sub- assessment of the impacts on the marine envi-
ject to the approval procedure according to § 2 ronment. In particular, close coordination with
of the Marine Facilities Act. According to § 4 the coastal federal states is necessary with re-
para. 3 WindSeeG, the objective of the desig- gard to the onshore connection of the offshore
nation is to enable the practical testing and im- wind farms and the routing of the routes
plementation of innovative concepts for energy through the coastal sea. At present, the re-
generation not connected to the grid in a spa- gional planning for Lower Saxony is being up-
tially ordered and land-saving manner. dated.
Within the framework of the Strategic Environ-
mental Assessment, a "conventional" offshore 2.1.1 Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
wind farm is assumed on the basis of the For the Land of Mecklenburg-Western Pomer-
knowledge gained to date with regard to elec- ania, the highest state planning authority is the
tricity generation. Environmental impacts going Ministry for Energy, Infrastructure and Digitali-
beyond this are highly dependent on the re- sation of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It
spective type of use and should therefore be is responsible for regional planning at the state
comprehensively examined at the approval level, including the coastal sea.
level. In this respect, the SEA for other energy
The current State Spatial Development Pro-
production areas is carried out in the same way
gramme of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
as the assessment of sites for offshore wind (LEP M-V) came into force on 9 June 2016.
energy.
2.1.2 Lower Saxony
The spatial development plan for the Land of
Lower Saxony, including the coastal sea of
Lower Saxony, is the Land Regional Planning
Programme (LROP). The Ministry of Food, Ag-
riculture and Consumer Protection of Lower
Saxony, as the highest state planning authority,
is responsible for drawing up and amending it;
Relationship to other relevant plans, programmes and projects 5
the final decision on the LROP is the responsi- the updating of the spatial development plans
bility of the state government. The LROP is with regard to measures for the protection of
based on an ordinance from 1994 and has migratory species in the marine area. Both the
been updated several times since then, most environmental objectives of the MSFD and the
recently in 2017. At the end of 2019, the proce- MSFD programme of measures are taken into
dure for a new update was initiated. In Decem- account in the SEA.
ber 2021, the second participation procedure
for the draft amendment and update to the Management plans for na-
LROP was initiated. ture conservation areas in
the EEZ
2.1.3 Schleswig-Holstein
On 17 November 2017, the Federal Agency for
In Schleswig-Holstein, the Land Development
Nature Conservation (BfN) initiated the partici-
Plan (LEP S-H) is the basis for the spatial de-
pation procedure under Article 7 (3) of the Reg-
velopment of the state. The Ministry of the In-
ulation on the Establishment of the "Borkum
terior, Rural Areas, Integration and Equality of
Riffgrund" Nature Conservation Area
Schleswig-Holstein (MILIG) is responsible for
(NSGBRgV)3, Article 7 (3) of the Regulation on
its preparation and amendment. The recent
the Establishment of the "Doggerbank" Nature
Land Ordinance on the Land Development
Conservation Area (NSGDgbV) 4and Article 9
Plan - Update 2021 (LEP-VO 2021) came into
(3) of the Regulation on the Establishment of
force on 16 December 2021 after an extensive
the "Sylt Outer Reef - Eastern German Bight"
participation process.
Nature Conservation Area (NSGSylV)5 on the
management plans for the nature conservation
MSFD Programme of Mea-
areas in the German North Sea EEZ. On 13
sures May 2020, the management plans "Borkum
Each EU Member State must develop a Marine Riffgrund"6, "Doggerbank" 7and "Sylt Outer
Strategy to achieve good status for its marine Reef - Eastern German Bight" were 8published
waters, in Germany for the North Sea and the in the Federal Gazette.
Baltic Sea. The key to this is the establishment
For the Baltic Sea EEZ, the regulations on the
of a programme of measures to achieve or
designation of the nature reserves "Fehmarn-
maintain good environmental status and the
belt" (NSGFmbV), "Kadetrinne" (NSGKdrV)
practical implementation of this programme of
and "Pommersche Bucht - Rönnebank"
measures. The establishment of the pro-
(NSGPBRV) came into force in September
gramme of measures (BMUB, 2016) is regu-
2017. According to the ordinances, the
lated in Germany by Section 45h of the Federal
measures necessary to achieve the conserva-
Water Act (WHG). Under Objective 2.4
tion objectives established for the nature re-
"Oceans with sustainably and carefully used
serves are presented in management plans.
resources", the current MSFD Programme of
These plans are drawn up by the Federal
Measures mentions maritime spatial planning
Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) in con-
as a contribution of existing measures to
sultation with the neighbouring Länder and the
achieving the operational objectives of the
technically affected public agencies, and with
MSFD. In addition, the catalogue of measures
the participation of the interested public and the
also formulates a concrete review mandate for
3 6
Of 22 September 2017 (BGBl. I p. 3395). Published on 17 April 2020, BAnz AT 13.05.2020 B9.
4 Of 22 September 2017 (BGBl. I p. 3400). 7 Published on 13 May 2020, BAnz AT 13.05.2020 B10.
5 Of 22 September 2017 (BGBl. I p. 3423). 8 Published on 13 May 2020, BAnz AT 13.05.2020 B11.
6 Relationship to other relevant plans, programmes and projects
nature conservation associations recognised is designed to plan the use of offshore wind en-
by the Federation. ergy and power cables in a targeted manner
and as optimally as possible under the given
On 16 June 2020, BfN initiated the participation
framework conditions - in particular the require-
procedure under Article 7 (3) NSGFmbV, Arti-
ments of regional planning - by defining areas
cle 7 (3) NSGKdrV and Article 11 (3)
and sites as well as locations, routes and corri-
NSGPBRV on the management plans for the
dors for grid connections and for cross-border
nature conservation areas in the German Baltic
submarine cable systems. As a matter of prin-
Sea EEZ. As part of the participation proce-
ciple, an SEA is carried out to accompany the
dure, a hearing on the drafts was held on 17
preparation, updating and amendment of the
August 2020. The management plans for the
FEP.
Baltic Sea EEZ have not yet been published.
In the next step, the sites for offshore wind tur-
Staged planning procedure bines identified in the FEP are pre-surveyed.
for offshore wind energy The preliminary investigation is followed by the
and power lines (central determination of the suitability of the area for
the construction and operation of offshore wind
model)
turbines if the requirements of Section 12 (2)
Within the framework of the central model, the WindSeeG are met. The determination of the
FEP is the steering instrument for the orderly suitability of an area is also subject to the obli-
expansion of offshore wind energy in a staged gation to carry out an SEA.
planning process. The SEA for the FEP is
linked to the respective upstream and down- If the suitability of an area for the use of off-
stream environmental assessments. shore wind energy is determined, the area is
put out to tender and the winning bidder or the
Looking at the central model as a whole, the person entitled to do so is granted the right to
planning process for the EEZ area is divided conduct a planning licensing procedure for the
into several stages: construction and operation of wind turbines on
At the highest and superordinate level is the in- the area specified in the FEP. If the require-
strument of maritime spatial planning. The spa- ments are met, an environmental impact as-
tial plan for the German EEZ in the North Sea sessment is carried out as part of the planning
and the Baltic Sea is the forward-looking plan- licensing procedure.
ning instrument that coordinates the most vari- While the sites defined in the FEP for the use
ous interests of users in the areas of business, of offshore wind energy are pre-surveyed and
science and research as well as protection put out to tender, this is not the case for defined
claims. A Strategic Environmental Assessment sites, routes and corridors for grid connections
(SEA) must be carried out when the spatial de- or cross-border submarine cable systems.
velopment plan is drawn up. The SEA for the Upon application, a planning approval proce-
ROP is related to various downstream environ- dure including environmental assessment is
mental assessments, in particular the directly usually carried out for the construction and op-
downstream SEA for the Site Development eration of grid connection cables. The same
Plan (FEP). applies to cross-border submarine cable sys-
The next step is the FEP. Within the framework tems.
of the so-called central model, the FEP is the
steering instrument for the orderly expansion of
offshore wind energy and power cables in a
staged planning process. The FEP has the
character of a sectoral plan. The sectoral plan
Relationship to other relevant plans, programmes and projects 7
According to Article 3 of the Environmental Im-
pact Assessment Act, environmental assess-
ments comprise the identification, description
and assessment of the significant impacts of a
project or a plan or programme on the pro-
tected assets. They serve to ensure effective
environmental protection in accordance with
the applicable laws and are carried out accord-
ing to uniform principles and with public partic-
ipation.
In the offshore sector, the special conservation
goods avifauna have become established as
sub-categories of the legally protection objec-
Figure 1 Overview of the staged planning and ap-
tives animals, plants and biological diversity:
proval process in the EEZ.
seabirds/resting and migratory birds, benthos,
In the case of multi-stage planning and ap- biotope types, plankton, marine mammals, fish
proval processes, it follows from the relevant and bats.
legislation (e.g. Spatial Planning Act, Wind-
SeeG and BBergG) or, more generally, from
Article 39 (3) UVPG that, in the case of plans,
it should be determined at the time of defining
the scope of the investigation at which of the
stages of the process certain environmental im-
pacts are to be assessed. In this way, multiple
assessments are to be avoided. The nature
and extent of the environmental impacts, tech-
nical requirements, and the content and subject
matter of the plan must be taken into account.
In the case of subsequent plans and subse-
quent approvals of projects for which the plan
sets a framework, the environmental assess-
ment pursuant to Article 39 (3) sentence 3
UVPG shall be limited to additional or other sig-
nificant environmental impacts as well as to Figure 2 Overview of the protected assets in the en-
necessary updates and more detailed investi- vironmental assessments.
gations.
In detail, the staged planning process is as fol-
As part of the staged planning and approval lows:
process, all reviews have in common that envi-
ronmental impacts on the protected assets 2.4.1 Maritime Spatial Planning (EEZ)
specified in Article 2 (1) UVPG are considered, At the highest and superordinate level is the in-
including their interactions. strument of maritime spatial planning. For sus-
tainable spatial development in the EEZ, the
According to the definition in Article 2 (2) of the
BSH prepares a spatial development plan on
UVPG, environmental impacts within the
behalf of the responsible federal ministry,
meaning of the UVPG are direct and indirect
which comes into force in the form of statutory
impacts of a project or the implementation of a
orders. The ROP for the German EEZ in the
plan or programme on the protected assets.
8 Relationship to other relevant plans, programmes and projects
North Sea and the Baltic Sea came into force The focus is therefore on possible cumulative
on 1 September 2021. effects, strategic and large-scale planning op-
tions and possible transboundary impacts.
The spatial development plans should define,
taking into account possible interactions be-
2.4.2 Site development plan
tween land and sea and safety aspects
The next level is the FEP.
to ensure the safety and ease of navi-
The specifications to be made by the FEP and
gation,
to be examined within the framework of the
to further economic uses,
SEA result from § 5 para. 1 WindSeeG. The
on scientific uses and
plan mainly specifies areas and sites for wind
to protect and improve the marine en-
energy plants as well as the expected capacity
vironment.
to be installed on these sites. In addition, the
In the context of spatial planning, definitions FEP also specifies routes, route corridors and
are mainly made in the form of priority and re- sites. Planning and technical principles are also
served areas and other objectives and princi- laid down. Although these also serve, among
ples. According to Section 8 (1) ROG, when other things, to reduce environmental impacts,
drawing up spatial development plans, the they may in turn lead to impacts, so that an as-
body responsible for the spatial development sessment is required as part of the SEA.
plan must carry out a strategic environmental
In addition, the FEP specifies temporal as-
assessment in which the probable significant
pects, such as the chronological order in which
impacts of the respective spatial development
the sites for offshore wind energy are to be put
plan on the objects to be protected, including
out to tender and the calendar years for com-
interactions, must be identified, described and
missioning. These are not a focus of the SEA,
evaluated.
as they do not result in any further environmen-
The aim of the instrument of spatial planning is tal impacts compared to the spatial specifica-
to optimise overall planning solutions. A wider tions.
spectrum of uses and functions is considered.
The specifications of the FEP must be permis-
Fundamental strategic questions should be
sible in accordance with the requirements of §
clarified at the beginning of a planning process.
5 WindSeeG. Pursuant to Section 5 para. 3
Thus the instrument primarily functions, and
sentence 2 no. 2 WindSeeG, specifications are
within the framework of the legal provisions, as
inadmissible in particular if they conflict with
a controlling planning instrument for the plan-
overriding public or private interests. In the con-
ning administrative bodies in order to create a
text of the SEA, this means that the determina-
framework for all uses which is compatible with
tions to be examined are in particular inadmis-
the spatial and natural environment as far as
sible if they
possible.
endanger the marine environment or
In spatial planning, the depth of examination
of the SEA is generally characterised by a pursuant to § 5 para. 3 sentence 2 no.
greater breadth of investigation, i.e. a funda- 5 WindSeeG, in the case of the desig-
mentally greater number of planning options, nation of a site or area, it is located in a
and a lesser depth of investigation in terms of protected area designated pursuant to
detailed analyses. Above all, regional, national § 57 BNatSchG, or
and global impacts as well as secondary, cu-
in the case of a designation under sec-
mulative and synergetic effects are taken into
tion 5(2a), the other energy production
account.
Relationship to other relevant plans, programmes and projects 9
area is located in a protected area des- der impacts. Against this background, the envi-
ignated under section 57 of the Federal ronmental report of the FEP update that is now
Nature Conservation Act. to be prepared should not repeat the assess-
ments; instead, in accordance with Article 39
Pursuant to Section 40 (1) sentence 2 UVPG,
(3) sentence 3 UVPG, the environmental as-
the environmental report must identify, de-
sessment should be limited to additional or
scribe and assess the likely significant environ-
other significant environmental impacts and to
mental effects of implementing the plan as well
necessary updates and deepenings. More in-
as reasonable alternatives. Pursuant to Section
depth assessments are carried out for the uses
40 (3) UVPG, the competent authority shall
of wind energy and submarine cables, for ex-
provisionally assess the environmental effects
ample with regard to strategic, technical and
of the plan on the protected assets in the envi-
spatial alternatives.
ronmental report in accordance with the princi-
ples of environmental assessment. The as-
2.4.3 Aptitude test as part the prelimi-
sessment standards of the sectoral legislation
nary investigation
and the UVPG are essentially congruent, as
The next step in the staged planning process is
the assessment of the environmental effects in
the suitability testing of sites for the construc-
the environmental assessments is carried out
tion and operation of offshore wind turbines. In
in accordance with the applicable legislation.
addition, the power to be installed is deter-
With regard to the FEP's objectives, it deals mined on the site in question.
with the fundamental questions of the use of
In the suitability test, it is examined in accord-
offshore wind energy and grid connections on
ance with section 10 subsection (2) WindSeeG
the basis of the legal requirements, especially
whether the construction and operation of off-
with the need, purpose, technology and the
shore wind energy installations on the site does
identification of sites and routes or route corri-
not conflict with the criteria for the inadmissibil-
dors. The plan therefore primarily has the func-
tion of a steering planning instrument in order ity of defining an area in the site development
plan in accordance with section 5 subsection
to create a spatially and, as far as possible, na-
ture-compatible framework for the implementa- (3) WindSeeG or, insofar as they can be as-
tion of individual projects, i.e. the construction sessed independently of the later design of the
and operation of offshore wind energy plants, project, with the interests relevant for the plan
their grid connections, cross-border submarine approval in accordance with section 48 subsec-
tion (4) sentence 1 WindSeeG.
cable systems and interconnections.
The depth of the assessment of likely signifi- Both the criteria of § 5 (3) WindSeeG and the
cant environmental effects is characterised by concerns of § 48 (4) sentence 1 WindSeeG re-
a wider scope of investigation, i.e. a larger quire an examination of whether the marine en-
vironment is endangered. With regard to the
number of alternatives and, in principle, a lower
latter concerns, it must be examined in particu-
depth of investigation. At the level of sectoral
planning, detailed analyses are generally not lar whether pollution of the marine environment
yet performed. Above all, local, national and within the meaning of Article 1 (1) No. 4 of the
global impacts as well as secondary, cumula- United Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea is not to be feared and whether bird migra-
tive and synergistic impacts in the sense of an
tion is not endangered.
overall view are taken into account.
The preliminary investigation with the suitability
As with the instrument of maritime spatial plan-
ning, the focus of the audit is on possible cu- test or determination is thus the instrument
connected between the FEP and the individual
mulative effects as well as possible cross-bor-
approval procedure for offshore wind energy
10 Relationship to other relevant plans, programmes and projects
plants. It refers to a concrete area designated In addition to the legal requirements of § 73
in the FEP and is thus much smaller than the para. 1 sentence 2 VwVfG, the plan must in-
FEP. It is distinguished from the plan approval clude the information contained in § 47 para. 1
procedure by the fact that an inspection ap- WindSeeG. The plan may only be established
proach is to be applied which is independent of under certain conditions listed in section 48(4)
the later concrete type of installation and lay- WindSeeG, and only if, inter alia, the marine
out. Thus, the impact prognosis is based on environment is not endangered, in particular if
model parameters, e.g. in scenarios or ranges there is no cause for concern about pollution of
of scenarios which are intended to represent the marine environment within the meaning of
possible realistic developments. Article 1(1)(4) of the Convention on the Law of
the Sea and if bird migration is not endangered.
Compared to the FEP, the SEA of the profi-
ciency test is thus characterised by a smaller Under § 24 UVPG, the competent authority
examination area and a greater depth of ex- prepares a summary
amination. In principle, fewer alternatives, lim-
the environmental impact of the pro-
ited spatially to the site, are seriously consid-
ject,
ered. The two primary alternatives are the de-
the characteristics of the project and of
termination of the suitability of an area on the
the site, which are intended to prevent,
one hand and the determination of its (possibly
reduce or offset significant adverse en-
partial) unsuitability (see section 12 para. 6
vironmental effects,
WindSeeG) on the other. Restrictions on the
measures to prevent, reduce or offset
type and extent of development, which are in-
significant negative environmental im-
cluded as specifications in the determination of
pacts, and
suitability, are not alternatives in this sense.
the replacement measures in case of
The focus of the environmental assessment interventions in nature and landscape.
within the framework of the suitability test is on
the consideration of the local impacts of a de- Under Article 16 (1) of the UVPG, the project
developer must submit a report to the compe-
velopment with wind energy plants in relation to
tent authority on the expected environmental
the area and the location of the development
impacts of the project (EIA report), which must
on the area.
contain at least the following information:
2.4.4 Approval procedure (planning ap- a description of the project, including in-
proval and planning licensing formation on the location, nature, scale
procedure) for offshore wind tur- and design, size and other essential
bines characteristics of the project,
The next step after the preliminary investigation
a description of the environment and its
is the approval procedure for the installation
components within the project's sphere
and operation of offshore wind turbines. After
of influence,
the area under investigation has been put out
to tender by the BNetzA, the winning bidder a description of the characteristics of
can, with the acceptance of the bid by the the project and of the location of the
BNetzA, submit an application for planning ap- project to exclude, reduce or offset the
proval or - if the prerequisites are met - for plan- occurrence of significant adverse envi-
ning permission for the construction and oper- ronmental effects of the project,
ation of offshore wind energy plants including a description of the measures planned
the necessary ancillary plants on the area un- to prevent, reduce or offset any signifi-
der investigation. cant adverse effects of the project on
Relationship to other relevant plans, programmes and projects 11
the environment and a description of gered, in particular if there is no cause for con-
planned replacement measures, cern about pollution of the marine environment
within the meaning of Article 1(1)(4) of the Con-
a description of the expected significant
vention on the Law of the Sea and no threat to
environmental effects of the project,
bird migration.
a description of the reasonable alterna-
Moreover, according to Article 1 para 4 UVPG,
tives, relevant to the project and its spe-
the requirements for the environmental impact
cific characteristics, that have been
assessment of offshore wind energy installa-
considered by the developer and the
tions, including ancillary installations, apply ac-
main reasons for the choice made, tak-
cordingly to the performance of the environ-
ing into account the specific environ-
mental assessment.
mental effects of the project; and
a generally understandable, non-tech- 2.4.6 Cross-border submarine cable
nical summary of the EIA report. systems
Pilot wind energy plants are only dealt with in According to § 133 (1) in conjunction with para.
the context of the environmental assessment in 4 BBergG, the construction and operation of an
the approval procedure and not already at up- underwater cable in or on the continental shelf
stream stages. requires a permit
from a mining point of view (by the
2.4.5 Approval procedure for grid con-
competent state mining authority) and
nections (converter platforms
concerning the organisation of the use
and submarine cable systems)
and exploitation of waters above the
In the staged planning process, the establish- continental shelf and the airspace
ment and operation of grid connections for off- above these waters (by the BSH).
shore wind energy plants (converter platform
and submarine cable systems, if applicable) is Pursuant to § 133 (2) BBergG, the above-men-
examined at the level of the approval proce- tioned permits may only be refused if there is a
dures (planning approval and planning permis- risk to the life or health of persons or material
sion procedures) in implementation of the re- goods or an impairment of overriding public in-
gional planning requirements and the specifica- terests which cannot be prevented or compen-
tions of the FEP at the request of the respective sated for by a time limit, conditions or require-
project executing agency - the responsible ments. An impairment of overriding public inter-
TSO. ests exists in particular in the cases specified
in § 132 (2) No. 3 BBergG. Pursuant to Section
According to § 44 (1) in conjunction with § 45 132 (2) No. 3 b) and d) BBergG, an impairment
para 1 WindSeeG, the construction and opera- of overriding public interests with regard to the
tion of facilities for the transmission of electric- marine environment exists in particular if the
ity require planning approval. In addition to the flora and fauna would be impaired in an unac-
legal requirements of § 73 para. 1 sentence 2 ceptable manner or if there is reason to believe
VwVfG, the plan must include the information that the sea will be polluted.
contained in § 47 para. 1 WindSeeG. The plan
may only be approved under certain conditions According to § 1 (4) UVPG, the essential re-
listed in section 48(4) WindSeeG and only if, quirements of the UVPG must be observed for
inter alia, the marine environment is not endan- the construction and operation of transbound-
ary submarine cable systems.
12 Relationship to other relevant plans, programmes and projects
Relationship to other relevant plans, programmes and projects 13
Figure 3 Overview of the priorities of environmental assessments in the planning and approval process.
14 Presentation and consideration of environmental protection objectives
3 Presentation and con- Convention on the prevention of marine
pollution by dumping of waste and other
sideration of environ- matter (London, 1972) and the 1996
mental protection objec- Protocol
tives 3.1.2 Regional agreements on marine en-
The preparation and updating of the FEP as vironmental protection
well as the implementation of the SEA are car- Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation
ried out in consideration of environmental pro- (1978) and Trilateral Monitoring and As-
tection objectives. These provide information sessment Programme of 1997 (TMAP)
on the environmental status to be aimed for in 1983 Convention concerning Coopera-
the future (environmental quality objectives). tion between the North Sea States to
The environmental protection objectives can be combat pollution of the North Sea by oil
derived from an overall view of the interna- and other harmful substances (Bonn
tional, EU and national conventions and regu- Convention)
lations that deal with marine environmental pro-
tection and on the basis of which the Federal 1992 Convention for the Protection of
Republic of Germany has committed itself to the Marine Environment of the North-
certain principles and objectives. The environ- East Atlantic
mental reports on the ROP 2021 contain a de- (OSPAR Convention)
scription of how compliance with the aforemen- 1992 Convention on the Protection of
tioned relevant international, EU and national the Marine Environment of the Baltic
regulations and recommendations is examined Sea Area
and implemented and what stipulations or (Helsinki Convention)
measures are taken. Should there be a need
for updates or changes in the context of the up- 3.1.3 Agreements specific to protected
date of the FEP, a supplementary presentation assets
will be made in the forthcoming environmental 1979 Convention on the Conservation
report. of European Wildlife and Natural Habi-
tats (Bern Convention)
International conventions
on marine environmental 1979 Convention on the conservation of
migratory species of wild animals
protection
(Bonn Convention)
The Federal Republic of Germany is a party to
all relevant international conventions on marine Under the Bonn Convention, regional agree-
environmental protection. ments for the conservation of the species listed
in Appendix II were concluded in accordance
3.1.1 Globally applicable conventions with Article 4 No. 3 of the Bonn Convention:
that are wholly or partly aimed at 1995 Agreement on the Conservation
protecting the marine environment of African-Eurasian Migratory Water-
the 1973 Convention for the Prevention birds (AEWA)
of Pollution from Ships, as amended by
1991 Agreement on the Conservation
the 1978 Protocol (MARPOL 73/78)
of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and
1982 United Nations Convention on the North Seas (ASCOBANS)
Law of the Sea
1991 Agreement on the Conservation
of Seals in the Wadden Sea
Presentation and consideration of environmental protection objectives 15
1991 Agreement on the Conservation Environmental and nature
of European Bat Populations (EURO- conservation requirements
BATS)
at national level
1993 Convention on Biological Diversity There are also various legal provisions at na-
tional level, the requirements of which must be
Environmental and nature taken into account in the environmental report:
conservation requirements
Law on nature conservation and land-
at EU level scape management (Federal Nature
As relevant EU legislation must be taken into Conservation Act - BNatSchG)
account:
Water Resources Act (WHG)
Council Directive 337/85/EEC of 27
Law on Environmental Impact Assess-
June 1985 on the assessment of the ef-
ment (UVPG)
fects of certain public and private pro-
jects on the environment (Environmen- Act on the Development and Promotion
tal Impact Assessment Directive, EIA of Wind Energy at Sea (Wind Energy at
Directive) Sea Act - WindSeeG)
Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May Regulation on the establishment of the
1992 on the conservation of natural nature reserve "Sylt Outer Reef - East-
habitats and of wild fauna and flora ern German Bight", the Regulation on
(Habitats Directive) the establishment of the nature reserve
"Borkum Riffgrund", and the Regulation
Directive 2000/60/EC of the European
on the establishment of the nature re-
Parliament and of the Council of 23 Oc-
serve "Doggerbank" in the North Sea
tober 2000 establishing a framework for
EEZ
Community action in the field of water
policy (Water Framework Directive, Regulation on the designation of the
WFD) "Fehmarnbelt" nature reserve, Regula-
tion on the designation of the "Ka-
Directive 2001/42/EC of the European
detrinne" nature reserve and Regula-
Parliament and of the Council of 27
tion on the designation of the "Östliche
June 2001 on the assessment of the ef-
Deutsche Bucht - Rönnebank" nature
fects of certain plans and programmes
reserve in the Baltic Sea EEZ
on the environment (Strategic Environ-
mental Assessment Directive, SEA Di- Management plans for nature conser-
rective) vation areas in the German North Sea
EEZ
Directive 2008/56/EC of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 17 Management plans for the nature con-
June 2008 establishing a framework for servation areas in the German Baltic
Community action in the field of marine Sea EEZ (participation procedure not
environmental policy (Marine Strategy yet completed)
Framework Directive, MSFD),
Energy and climate protection targets of
Directive 2009/147/EC of the European the Federal Government
Parliament and of the Council on the
conservation of wild birds (Birds Di-
rective).
16
Figure 4 Overview of the normative levels of the relevant legal acts for SEA.
the environmental effects of the specifications
4 Strategic Environmental in the environmental report with a view to effec-
tive environmental precautions in accordance
Assessment methodology with the applicable legislation. According to the
In principle, various methodological ap- special legal standard of § 5 para. 3 Wind-
proaches can be considered when conducting SeeG, the specifications must not lead to a
the SEA. This environmental report builds on hazard to the marine environment. In this con-
the methodology already applied in the SEA of text, the requirements under nature conserva-
the federal sectoral plans and the site develop- tion law (Federal Nature Conservation Act)
ment plan, which was also used for the SEA of must also be examined.
the ROP with regard to offshore wind energy The subject of the environmental report is the
and transmission lines. description and assessment of the likely signif-
The methodology depends primarily on the icant effects of the implementation of the FEP
designations of the plan to be assessed. Within on the marine environment for the specifica-
the framework of this SEA, it is determined, de- tions of the FEP as listed in Article 5 (1) of the
scribed and assessed for each of the specifica- WindSeeG (see 1.3).
tions whether the specifications are likely to However, the temporal specifications, such as
have significant effects on the protected assets the order of tendering or calendar years of
concerned. According to Section 1 (4) UVPG in commissioning, are less important here, as
conjunction with Section 40 (3) UVPG, the they do not lead to any further environmental
competent authority shall provisionally assess impacts compared to the spatial specifications.
Strategic Environmental Assessment methodology 17
Although some planning and technical princi- Examination room
ples also serve to reduce environmental im-
The description and assessment of the envi-
pacts, they can also lead to impacts, so that an
ronmental status relates to the EEZs of the
assessment is necessary.
North Sea and the Baltic Sea, for which the
The following specifications are examined in FEP essentially makes specifications. The SEA
relation to their likely significant environmental investigation area covers the German EEZ of
impacts: the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. It should be
noted that the data situation within the North
Sea EEZ is significantly better for the area up
Areas and sites for offshore wind en- to shipping route 10 than for the area northwest
ergy, including the determination of of shipping route 10 due to the available pro-
the expected capacity to be installed ject-related monitoring data.
Routes and corridors, including bor- For the area northwest of shipping route 10, the
der corridors FEP makes statements on areas and sites,
possible routes, route corridors or border corri-
Locations for platforms (converter
dors for transboundary submarine cable sys-
and collection platforms and substa-
tems. Based on the available sediment data
tions)
and findings from the monitoring of the "Dogger
Designation of other energy produc- Bank" protected area, a description and as-
tion areas sessment of the environmental status and an
Relevant planning and engineering evaluation of the potential environmental im-
principles pacts is also possible for this area.
The adjacent territorial sea and the adjacent ar-
eas of the neighbouring states are not directly
the subject of this plan, but they will be consid-
ered as part of the cumulative and transbound-
ary assessment in this SEA, where necessary.
18 Strategic Environmental Assessment methodology
Figure 5 Delimitation of the investigation area for the SEA of the site development plan in the North Sea.
Figure 6 Delimitation of the investigation area for the SEA of the site development plan in the Baltic Sea.
Strategic Environmental Assessment methodology 19
Also relevant are the characteristics of the plan,
Implementation of the en- in particular
vironmental assessment the extent to which the plan sets a frame-
As with the SEA on maritime spatial planning, work for projects and other activities in terms
the assessment of the likely significant environ- of location, type, size and operating condi-
tions or through the use of resources
mental effects of the implementation of the FEP
includes secondary, cumulative, synergistic, the extent to which the plan influences other
short-, medium- and long-term, permanent and plans and programmes, including those in a
temporary, positive and negative effects in planning hierarchy;
terms of protected assets. Secondary or indi- the importance of the plan for the integration
rect effects are those which are not immediate of environmental considerations, in particu-
and therefore may take effect after some time lar with a view to promoting sustainable de-
and/or in other places. Occasionally we also velopment
speak of consequential effects or interactions. the environmental issues relevant to the
plan;
Possible impacts of the plan implementation
are described and evaluated in relation to the the relevance of the plan for the implemen-
protected areas. A uniform definition of the tation of Community environmental legisla-
tion (e.g. plans and programmes relating to
term "significance" does not exist, since it is a waste management or water protection)
"individually determined significance" which (Annex II SEA Directive)
cannot be considered independently of the
In some cases, further details on when an im-
"specific characteristics of plans or pro-
pact reaches the materiality threshold can be
grammes" (SOMMER, 2005, 25f.). In general,
derived from sectoral legislation. Threshold val-
significant impacts can be understood to be ef-
ues were developed under the law in order to
fects that are serious and significant in the con-
be able to make a distinction.
text under consideration.
According to the requirements of § 5 para. 3
According to the criteria of Annex 2 of the ROG,
sentence 4 WindSeeG in conjunction with § 39
which are decisive for the assessment of the
para. 3 sentence 3 UVPG. § Section 39 (3) sen-
likely significant environmental impacts, signifi-
tence 3 UVPG, it is first examined whether
cance is determined by
there are additional or other significant environ-
"the probability, duration, frequency and ir- mental impacts compared to the ROP and the
reversibility of the effects SEA carried out in this procedure and whether
the cumulative nature of the effects; updates and deepening are required. It is also
examined whether there is a need for adjust-
the cross-border nature of the effects;
ments and amendments compared to the SEA
the risks to human health or the environment of the existing FEP. Assessments for which no
(e.g. in the event of accidents); changes have arisen are not repeated; refer-
the scale and spatial extent of the impact; ence is made to the respective results in the
the importance and sensitivity of the area existing environmental reports in this respect.
likely to be affected, due to its specific natu- For these two reasons, the scope of the as-
ral characteristics or cultural heritage, the sessment is therefore limited to additional or
exceeding of environmental quality stand- different significant environmental impacts as
ards or limit values and intensive land use; well as to necessary updates and deepening.
the impact on sites or landscapes whose This assessment will be carried out separately
status is recognised as protected at na- for areas and sites, platforms, submarine cable
tional, Community or international level". systems and other energy generation areas,
20 Strategic Environmental Assessment methodology
taking into account the assessment of the pro- Biodiversity
tected assets. Furthermore, if necessary, a dif-
Air
ferentiation will be made according to different
technical designs. All plan contents that can Climate
potentially have significant environmental im- Landscape
pacts are examined.
Cultural and material goods
In this context, both the construction- and dis- People, especially human health
mantling-related impacts as well as the plant-
and operation-related impacts are considered. Interrelationships between protected assets
In addition, impacts that may arise in the In general, the following methodological ap-
course of maintenance and repair work are proaches find their way into the environmental
taken into account. Possible interactions, cu- assessment:
mulative effects and transboundary impacts
Qualitative descriptions and assessments
are also considered.
Quantitative descriptions and assessments
The result of the assessment as to whether ad-
ditional or other significant environmental im- Evaluation of studies and technical litera-
ture, expert opinions
pacts arise and whether updates and deepen-
ing are required is documented in the environ- Visualisations
mental report in each case. Any assessments, Worst-case assumptions
updates or deepening required beyond the
Trend assessments (e.g. on the state of the
SEA for the existing FEP or the SEA for the art of installations)
ROP will be carried out as part of the upcoming
SEA for the FEP and described in the environ- Assessments by experts/ the professional
public
mental report.
In general, the assessment of the impacts re-
The following protected assets are considered
sulting from the designations of the FEP con-
with regard to the assessment of the state of
tinues to be based on the status description
the environment:
and status assessment and the function and
Area significance of the individual areas, sites and
Soil routes for the individual protected assets on the
one hand, and the impacts emanating from
Water these designations and the resulting potential
Plankton impacts on the other. A prognosis of the pro-
Biotope types ject-related impacts in the case of implementa-
tion of the FEP is implemented based on the
Benthos criteria of intensity, range and duration or fre-
Fish quency of the effects (cf. figure 9).
Marine mammals
Avifauna
Bats
Strategic Environmental Assessment methodology 21
Figure 7 General methodology for the assessment of likely significant environmental effects.
tion status, assessment of occurrence, assess-
Criteria for the description and ment of spatial units and prior contamination.
assessment of the condition For migratory birds, the aspects of rarity, en-
dangerment and existing pressures are taken
The condition of the individual protected assets
into account, as are the aspects of occurrence
is assessed on the basis of various criteria. For
assessment and the area's significance for bird
the protected assets of area/soil, benthos and
migration over a large area. There is currently
fish, the assessment is based on the aspects of
no reliable data basis for a criteria-based as-
rarity and vulnerability, diversity and peculiarity,
sessment of bats as a protected species. The
and existing impacts. The description and as-
biodiversity asset is evaluated in text form.
sessment of marine mammals and marine and
resting birds is based on the aspects listed in The following is a summary of the criteria that
the figure. Since these are highly mobile spe- were used for the status assessment of the re-
cies, an approach analogous to that for the pro- spective protected property. This overview
tected assets area/soil, benthos and fish is not deals with the protected assets which can be
appropriate. For seabirds, resting birds and meaningfully delimited on the basis of criteria
marine mammals, the criteria used are protec- and which are considered in the focus area.
22 Strategic Environmental Assessment methodology
Soil
Aspect: Rarity and endangerment
Criterion: Percentage of sediments on the seabed and distribution of the morphological inventory of
forms.
Aspect: Diversity and individuality
Criterion: Heterogeneity of the sediments on the sea floor and formation of the
morphological inventory of forms.
Aspect: Preload
Criterion: Extent of the anthropogenic preload of the sediments on the sea floor and the morphological
inventory of forms.
Benthos
Aspect: Rarity and endangerment
Criterion: Number of rare or endangered species based on the Red List species identified (Red List by
RACHOR et al. 2013).
Aspect: Diversity and individuality
Criterion: Number of species and composition of the species communities. The extent to which species
or communities characteristic of the habitat occur and how regularly they occur is assessed.
Aspect: Preload
For this criterion, the intensity of fishing exploitation, which is the most effective disturbance variable,
will be used as a benchmark. Eutrophication can also affect benthic communities. For other disturbance
variables, such as vessel traffic, pollutants, etc., there is currently a lack of suitable measurement and
detection methods to be able to include them in the assessment.
Biotope types
Aspect: Rarity and endangerment
Criterion: national conservation status and endangerment of biotope types according to the Red List of
Endangered Biotope Types in Germany (FINCK et al., 2017)
Aspect: Preload
Criterion: Hazard due to anthropogenic influences.
Strategic Environmental Assessment methodology 23
Fish
Aspect: Rarity and endangerment
Criterion: Proportion of species considered endangered according to the current Red List marine fish
(THIEL et al. 2013) and for the diadromous species on the Red List freshwater fish (FREYHOF 2009) and
assigned to Red List categories.
Aspect: Diversity and individuality
Criterion: The diversity of a fish community can be described by the number of species (α-Diversity,
'Species richness'). The species composition can be used to assess the specific nature of a fish com-
munity, i.e. how regularly habitat-typical species occur. Diversity and specificity are compared and as-
sessed between the North Sea or Baltic Sea as a whole and the German EEZ, as well as between the
EEZ and individual areas.
Aspect: Preload
Criterion: Through the removal of target species and by-catch, and the impact on the seabed in the
case of bottom-dwelling fishing methods, fisheries are considered to be the most effective disturbance
to the fish community and therefore serve as a measure of the pressure on fish communities in the
North Sea and Baltic Sea. There is no assessment of stocks on a smaller spatial scale such as the
German Bight. The input of nutrients into natural waters is another path through which human activities
can affect fish communities. For this reason, eutrophication is used to assess the existing pollution.
Marine mammals
Aspect: Protection status
Criterion: Status under Annex II and Annex IV of the Habitats Directive and the following international
protection agreements: Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn
Convention, CMS), ASCOBANS (Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and
North Seas), Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Con-
vention)
Aspect: Assessment of the occurrence
criteria: Stock, stock changes/trends based on large-scale surveys, distribution patterns and density
distributions
Aspect: Evaluation of spatial units
criteria: Function and importance of the German EEZ and the areas defined in the FEP for marine
mammals as transit areas, feeding grounds or breeding grounds
Aspect: Preload
Criterion: Hazards due to anthropogenic influences and climate change.
24 Strategic Environmental Assessment methodology
Seabirds and resting birds
Aspect: Protection status
Criterion: Annex I status Species of the Birds Directive, European Red List from BirdLife International
Aspect: Assessment of the occurrence
criteria: Stocks in the German North Sea and Baltic Sea and stocks in the German EEZ, large-scale
distribution patterns, abundances, variability
Aspect: Evaluation of spatial units
criteria: Function of the areas defined in the FEP for relevant breeding birds, migrants, as resting areas,
location of protected areas
Aspect: Preload
Criterion: Hazards due to anthropogenic influences and climate change.
Migratory birds
Aspect: The importance of bird migration over a large area
Criterion: Guidelines and areas of concentration
Aspect: Assessment of the occurrence
Criterion: draught and its intensity
Aspect: Rarity and endangerment
Criterion: Number of species and endangered status of the species involved according to Annex I of
the Birds Directive, Bern Convention of 1979 on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural
Habitats, Bonn Convention of 1979 on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, AEWA
(African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement) and SPEC (Species of European Conservation Concern).
Aspect: Preload
Criterion: Prior pollution/hazards due to anthropogenic influences and climate change.
Baltic Sea. This will inevitably have an impact
Consideration of climate on marine ecosystems, their structure and
change functions, which may also change ecosystem
Anthropogenic climate change as one of the services. The changes may also have a direct
biggest societal challenges is of particular im- impact on uses, e.g. for renewable energy
portance for changes in the oceans and their (Frazão Santos, 2020).
use. In changing seas, the consideration and The designations of the FEP have considerable
integration of climate impacts into planning pro- CO2 reduction potential and contribute in par-
cesses is of great importance in order to de- ticular to climate protection. The expansion and
velop sustainable and future-oriented plans in use of climate-friendly technologies in the sea
the long term. will support energy security and the achieve-
Climate change will alter the physical, chemical ment of national and international climate pro-
and biological conditions in the North Sea and tection objectives.
Strategic Environmental Assessment methodology 25
Assumptions used to de- compared to the SEA for the existing FEP or
scribe and assess the likely the SEA for the ROP and whether updates and
deepening of the descriptions and assess-
significant impacts
ments are required. The following table lists,
The description and assessment of the likely based on the main impact factors, the potential
significant effects of the implementation of the environmental impacts that may arise from the
FEP on the marine environment are carried out respective use and form the basis for the as-
separately for areas and sites, platforms, sub- sessment of the likely significant environmental
marine cable systems and other energy pro- impacts. For the assessment, the impacts are
duction areas on the basis of the protected as- differentiated according to whether they are
sets, including the status assessment de- due to construction/deconstruction or opera-
scribed above. For each of these aspects, it is tion, or whether they are caused by the facility
examined individually whether additional or dif- itself.
ferent significant environmental impacts arise
Table 1 Overview of potentially significant impacts if the FEP is implemented (t=temporary effects).
Protected assets
Marine mammals
Cultural & mate-
Potential im-
Migratory birds
Use Effect
Biotope types
pact
Seabirds and
resting birds
Man/ Health
Biodiversity
Landscape
rial goods
Plankton
Benthos
Climate
Water
Area
Bats
Fish
Soil
Air
Habitat modifica-
x x x x x x x
tion
Habitat and land
x x x x x x x x
loss
Attraction effects,
Placement of
increase in spe-
hard substrate
cies diversity, x x x x x x
(foundations)
change in species
composition
Change in hydro-
x x x x x
graphic conditions
Scouring/sedi- Habitat modifica-
x x x x x x
ment shift tion
Sediment resus- Impairment xt xt xt xt xt
pension and tur-
Areas, bidity plumes Physiological ef-
sites and (construction fects and chilling xt x
platform phase) effects
locations Resuspension of
sediment and
sedimentation Impairment xt xt xt xt
(construction
phase)
Noise emissions Impairment/ scare
xt x
during pile driving effect
(construction Potential disrup-
phase) xt x
tion/damage
Visual disturb-
ance due to con- Local scouring
xt xt
struction opera- and barrier effects
tions
Scare effects, ha-
x
Obstacle in bitat loss
airspace Barrier effect, col-
x x x x
lision
26 Strategic Environmental Assessment methodology
Protected assets
Marine mammals
Cultural & mate-
Potential im-
Use Effect
Migratory birds
Biotope types
pact
Seabirds and
resting birds
Man/ Health
Biodiversity
Landscape
rial goods
Plankton
Benthos
Climate
Water
Area
Bats
Fish
Soil
Air
Light emissions
Attraction effects,
(construction and x x x x
collision
operation)
Wind farm-re-
lated shipping Impairment/ scare
traffic (mainte- effects x x x x x x x x x x xt x x x x x
nance, construc- Collision
tion traffic)
Habitat modifica-
Placement of x x x x x x
tion
hard substrate
Habitat and land
(riprap) x x x x x x
loss
Impairment/dis-
placement of cold-
Heat emissions x x x
water-loving spe-
cies
Subma-
rine Impairment x
cable
systems Impairment of the
Magnetic fields orientation behav-
x
iour of individual
migratory species
Impairment xt xt xt xt xt
Turbidity plumes
(construction Physiological ef-
phase) fects and chilling xt
effects
In addition to the effects on the individual pro- caused by temporal as well as spatial coinci-
tected assets, cumulative effects and interac- dence of impacts. Effects of the construction
tions between protected assets are also exam- phase are predominantly short-term and tem-
ined. porary in nature, while plant-related and opera-
tional effects can be permanent. The impact
4.5.1 Cumulative consideration can be intensified by similar uses or different
According to Art. 5 para. 1 SEA Directive, the uses with the same effect, thus increasing the
environmental report also includes the assess- impact on one or more protected assets.
ment of cumulative effects. Cumulative impacts
The focus of the environmental report on the
result from the interaction of various independ- FEP is on the cumulative consideration of sim-
ent individual effects that either add up through
ilar uses, namely those for which the FEP
their interaction (cumulative effects) or rein- makes specifications. A cumulative considera-
force each other and thus produce more than tion of different uses, i.e. intersectoral, is car-
the sum of their individual effects (synergetic
ried out within the framework of the SEA at the
effects) (e.g. SCHOMERUS et al., 2006). Cumu- higher level of the ROP for the EEZ.
lative as well as synergetic effects can be
Strategic Environmental Assessment methodology 27
Figure 8 Exemplary cumulative effect of similar uses.
In order to examine the cumulative effects, it is offshore wind energy in the ROP will be identi-
necessary to assess the extent to which the fied in the FEP. If additional areas are identi-
designations of the plan, when taken together, fied, these will be included in the scope of the
can be expected to have a significant adverse SEA. Within the areas, the FEP will define sites
effect. An examination of the designations is and the expected capacity of offshore wind tur-
performed on the basis of the current state of bines to be installed.
knowledge within the meaning of Article 5 (2) of
For the SEA, certain parameters are assumed
the SEA Directive. The position paper on the
for the development of the areas. In detail,
cumulative assessment of diver habitat loss in
these include the number of turbines, power
the German North Sea (BMU, 2009) and the
per turbine [MW], hub height [m], height of the
BMUB's noise abatement concept (2013) form
lower rotor tip [m], rotor diameter [m], total
an important basis for assessing the impacts of
height [m] of the turbines, diameter of founda-
habitat loss and underwater noise.
tion types [m] and diameter of the scour protec-
tion [m].
4.5.2 Interrelationships
In general, impacts on a protected good lead to The input parameters considered in the upcom-
various consequences and interactions be- ing SEA are, in particular:
tween the protected assets. The main interde- - Plants already in operation or in the ap-
pendence of the biotic protected assets exists proval procedure (as reference and ini-
via the food chains. Due to the variability of the tial load)
habitat, interactions can only be described very
- Forecast of certain technical develop-
imprecisely.
ments and assumptions of bandwidths
4.5.3 Specific assumptions for the as- for various parameters for the consider-
sessment of the likely significant ation of the defined areas and sites.
environmental effects Table 2 provides an overview of the model pa-
In detail, the following procedure is carried out rameters to be used with the respective band-
for the analysis and assessment of the respec- widths. In order to reflect the range of possible
tive designations: developments, the assessment is essentially
based on two scenarios. In the first scenario,
Areas and sites, including the expected power
many small installations are assumed, while in
to be installed:
the second scenario, only a few large installa-
With regard to the areas, it is currently as- tions are assumed. Due to the range of scenar-
sumed that all priority and reservation areas for ios covered, a comprehensive description and
28 Strategic Environmental Assessment methodology
assessment of the protected assets is made The parameters of the scenarios reflect the ex-
possible. pected advancing state of the art and therefore
differ for the different zones that are expected
to be developed for offshore wind energy.
Table 2 Model parameters for the consideration of the areas and sites.
Parameter Zone 1/2 Zone 3 Zone 4/5
Scenario Scenario Scenario Scenario Scenario Scenario
1 2 1 2 1 2
Capacity per plant
5 15 15 20 20 30
[MW]
Hub height [m] 100 150 150 165 165 210
Rotor diameter [m] 140 240 240 270 270 350
Total height [m] 170 270 270 300 300 385
Locations for platforms (transformer or residen- as a basis for the evaluation, such as the num-
tial platforms) ber of platforms, length of the cabling within the
park [km], diameter of one or several founda-
For the assessment of platform locations
tions [m] and area for foundations (incl. scour
(transformer, converter and residential plat-
protection) [m²].
forms), certain parameters are also assumed
Table 3 Parameters for the consideration of grid connections and platforms
Grid connection 320 kV 525 kV 220 kV
Converter platforms,
transformer/residen- 66 kV 155 kV 66 kV
tial platforms*
Spec. length park-internal ca- approx. 0.12 approx. 0.12 approx. 0.12 approx. 0.12
bling [km/MW]
Number of converter platforms 1 1 1 0
Area of converter platform approx. 600 approx. 600 approx. 600
foundation [m²]
Number of transformer plat- 0 2 0 1
forms
Number of residential plat- 2 0 2 0
forms
Diameter foundation [m]** approx. 2 x 10 approx. 2 x 10 approx. 2 x 10 approx. 10
Diameter scour protection [m] approx. 2 x 50 approx. 2 x 50 approx. 2 x 50 approx. 50
* The data on transformer/residential platforms refers to the number of transformer/residential platforms per
grid connection (only for completions from 2026) for the different connection concepts. Only the length of
the wind farm’s internal cabling is dependent on the anticipated capacity and was determined on the basis
of existing plans.
** The calculation of the land use is based on the assumption of a monopile foundation. It is assumed that
monopiles and jackets use approximately the same area on the seabed.
Data basis 29
Routes and corridors for submarine cable sys- border submarine cable systems and intercon-
tems nections), certain widths of the cable trench [m]
and a certain area of the crossing structures [m
When determining routes and corridors for sub- 2
] are assumed. Mainly the construction-, oper-
marine cable systems (connection lines, cross-
ation- and repair-related environmental im-
pacts are considered.
Table 4 Parameters for the consideration of submarine cable systems
Submarine cable sys-
tems
Cable trench width [m] approx. 1
Area of the crossing structures [m ]2 approx. 900
Other energy production areas was already specified as part of the BFO North
Sea and was therefore also the subject of the
For the definition of "other energy production
environmental assessment of the BFO.
areas", the SEA is based on the assumption of
Changes to the standard transmission capac-
a "classic" offshore wind farm on the basis of
ity, for example, will be examined in the envi-
previous knowledge of electricity production.
ronmental report.
Environmental impacts going beyond this are
strongly dependent on the respective use vari- 5 Data basis
ant and should therefore be comprehensively
assessed at the approval level. In this respect, The basis for the SEA is a description and as-
the SEA for other energy production areas is sessment of the state of the environment in the
carried out in the same way as the assessment examination room. All protected assets are to
of areas for offshore wind energy and is based be included. The data basis is the basis for the
on the same model parameters. assessment of the likely significant environ-
mental impacts, the site and species protection
Relevant planning and technical principles
assessment and the alternatives assessment.
By regulating planning and technical principles Pursuant to Section 39 (2) sentence 2 UVPG,
in the FEP, the required land use can be mini- the environmental report shall contain the infor-
mised and the potential environmental impacts mation that can be ascertained with reasonable
reduced to a low level. The majority of the plan- effort, taking into account the current state of
ning principles serve to prevent or reduce envi- knowledge and public statements known to the
ronmental impacts and are not expected to authority, generally accepted assessment
lead to significant impacts. methods, the content and level of detail of the
The FEP also contains some planning princi- plan and its position in the decision-making
ples that are not related to the reduction of en- process.
vironmental impacts. If these are based on spa- According to Section 40 (4) UVPG, information
tial planning objectives, they must be complied available to the competent authority from other
with due to the binding nature of the spatial procedures or activities may be included in the
planning objectives. Remaining planning prin- environmental report if it is suitable for the in-
ciples are examined for likely significant envi- tended purpose and sufficiently up-to-date.
ronmental impacts on protected assets.
The environmental report will again build on the
With regard to the technical principles, a DC environmental assessments carried out as part
system as a voltage-sourced high-voltage DC of the ROP and for the preparation and update
transmission with a voltage level of +/- 320 kV of the FEP from 2019 and 2020.
30 Data basis
The draft environmental report will, on the one Data and findings from the operation of
hand, update the description and assessment offshore wind farms
of the current state of the environment as well Data and findings from licensing proce-
as the likely development in case of non-imple- dures for offshore wind farms, submarine
mentation of the plan compared to the existing cable systems
environmental reports on the FEP and the SEA Results from the preliminary land use
on the ROP. Secondly, it will forecast and as- study
sess the likely significant additional or different Results from the monitoring of Natura
environmental effects resulting from the imple- 2000 sites
mentation of the plan. Mapping instructions for §30 biotope ty-
The descriptions and assessments are carried pes
out with regard to the following protected as- Environmental Report on the 2021 Spatial
sets: Development Plan for the German Exclu-
sive Economic Zone in the North Sea
Area
Environmental Report on the Spatial De-
Soil
velopment Plan 2021 for the German Ex-
Water
clusive Economic Zone in the Baltic Sea
Plankton
BfN (2017): Die Meeresschutzgebiete in
Biotope types der deutschen ausschließlichen Wirt-
Benthos schaftszone der Nordsee - Beschreibung
Fish und Zustandsbewertung.
Marine mammals BfN (2017): Methodik der Management-
Avifauna planung für die Schutzgebiete in der deut-
Bats schen ausschließlichen Wirtschaftszone
Biological diversity der Nord- und Ostsee
Air MSFD Initial and Progress Assessment
Climate OSPAR status reports
Landscape Findings and results from R&D projects
Cultural and other material goods commissioned by BfN and/or BSH and
People, especially human health from accompanying ecological research
Interrelationships between protected as- Results from EU cooperation projects,
sets. such as Pan Baltic Scope and SEANSE
Studies/ Technical literature
Overview of data and Current red lists
knowledge base Comments from the technical authorities
The data and knowledge situation has im- Comments from the professional public
proved significantly in recent years, in particu-
A detailed overview of the individual data and
lar due to the extensive data collection within
findings bases is included in the annex (Chap.
the framework of environmental impact studies
8) of the study framework.
as well as the construction and operation mon-
itoring for offshore wind farm projects and the
Indications of difficulties in
accompanying ecological research.
compiling the documents
In general terms, the following data and find-
Pursuant to Article 40 (2) No. 7 UVPG, indica-
ings are used as basis for the environmental
tions of difficulties encountered in compiling the
report:
information, such as technical gaps or lack of
knowledge, must be presented. There are still
Presentation of the individual assessment steps in the environmental report 31
gaps in knowledge in places, particularly with marine environment, in order to fundamentally
regard to the following points: consider cumulative effects over time and
space.
Long-term effects from the operation of
offshore wind farms and associated fa- Various R&D studies are currently being car-
cilities, such as converter platforms ried out on behalf of the BSH on assessment
approaches, including those for underwater
Data for assessing the environmental
noise. The projects serve the continuous fur-
status of the various protected assets
ther development of a uniform, quality-assured
for the area of the outer EEZ.
basis of marine environmental information for
In principle, forecasts on the development of assessing the potential impacts of offshore in-
the living marine environment after implemen- stallations.
tation of the FEP remain subject to a certain
The environmental report will likely make sub-
degree of uncertainty. There is often a lack of
stantial reference to the environmental report
long-term data series or analytical methods,
on the ROP for the presentation of the specific
e.g. for combining extensive information on bi-
information gaps or difficulties in compiling the
otic and abiotic factors, in order to better under-
documents for the individual protected assets
stand complex interactions of the marine eco-
and update these, if necessary.
system.
In particular, there is a lack of detailed area- 6 Presentation of the indi-
wide sediment and biotope mapping outside vidual assessment steps
the nature conservation areas of the EEZ. As a
result, there is a lack of a scientific basis for as- in the environmental re-
sessing the impacts of the possible use of port
strictly protected biotope structures. At present,
a sediment and biotope mapping is being car- The description and assessment of the state of
ried out on behalf of the BfN and in cooperation the environment, the presentation of the likely
with the BSH, research and higher education development in the event of non-implementa-
institutions and an environmental office, with a tion of the plan and the assessment of the likely
spatial focus on the nature conservation areas. significant environmental effects are based on
the designations of the FEP and compare
In addition, for some protected assets there is these in each case with the assessments al-
a lack of scientific assessment criteria, both ready carried out as part of the SEA for the ex-
with regard to the assessment of their status isting FEP and the SEA for the ROP.
and with regard to the impacts of anthropo-
genic activities on the development of the living
32 Presentation of the individual assessment steps in the environmental report
Figure 9 Components of the environmental report.
greater impact. In spatial terms, the description
Description and assessment of the environment is based on the respective
of the state of the environ- environmental impacts of the plan. Depending
ment on the type of impact and the protected object
concerned, these impacts vary in extent and
Pursuant to Section 40 (2) No. 3 UVPG, the en- may extend beyond the boundaries of the plan.
vironmental report contains an inventory of the
relevant aspects of the current state of the en- Anticipated development if
vironment, including the environmental charac- the plan is not implemented
teristics of the areas likely to be significantly af- For a comprehensive forecast of the environ-
fected. Compared to the existing strategic en- mental impacts associated with the FEP, it
vironmental assessments for the FEP and the must also be known how the environment
ROP, this is to be limited to additional or other would likely develop if the plan were not imple-
significant environmental impacts and to nec- mented. In the context of this consideration, it
essary updates and deepening. is particularly relevant that offshore wind en-
A description of the relevant aspects of the cur- ergy would be expanded within the EEZ even
rent state of the environment is fundamentally without updating the plan. This is necessary to
necessary in order to be able to forecast meet the climate protection and energy policy
changes in it during implementation of the plan. objectives of the German government, for
The subject of the inventory are the protected which the expansion of offshore wind energy
assets listed in Article 2 (1), sentence 2, nos. 1 plays a key role. The anticipated development
to 4 UVPG, as well as interactions between in the event of non-implementation of the plan
them. The presentation is problem-oriented. thus includes a comparison with the environ-
The focus is thus on possible existing impacts, mental impacts with an identical time horizon
environmental elements requiring special pro- without an updated FEP, but not a comparison
tection and on those protected assets on which of the environmental impacts of the plan with
the implementation of the plan will have a the current environmental status. The starting
point for the anticipated development in the
Presentation of the individual assessment steps in the environmental report 33
event of non-implementation of the plan will es- section 44 subsection 1 no. 2 of the Federal
sentially be the environmental assessment of Nature Conservation Act, wild animals of
maritime spatial planning. strictly protected species and of European bird
species may not be significantly disturbed dur-
Description and assessment ing their breeding, rearing, moulting,
of the likely significant ef- hibernation and migration periods.
fects of the implementation
Biotope protection assessment
of the plan on the marine
The specifications of the FEP must also comply
environment
with the requirements of biotope protection law.
The description and assessment of the envi- According to § 30 para. 2 no. 6 BNatSchG, ac-
ronmental impacts focuses on the assets for tions that lead to the destruction or other signif-
which significant impacts cannot be excluded icant impairment of marine macrophyte popu-
from the outset by the implementation of the lations, reefs, sublittoral sandbanks, mudflats
FEP. Those protected assets are not consid- with burrowing bottom megafauna and spe-
ered for which a significant impairment can al- cies-rich gravel, coarse sand and shingle beds
ready be excluded during the description and in the marine and coastal areas are prohibited.
assessment of the status quo. The description
and assessment will be limited to additional or Impact assessment
other significant environmental impacts as well
As part of the SEA, the areas, sites, platforms
as to necessary updates and deepening com-
and planned submarine cable routes planned
pared to the existing strategic environmental
in the FEP will also be assessed separately for
assessments for the FEP and the ROP. In ad-
their compatibility with the conservation pur-
dition to the significant negative impacts, pos-
poses of the nature conservation areas. The
sible positive effects on the marine environ-
assessment will be limited to additional or other
ment will also be assessed on the basis of the
significant environmental impacts as well as to
standards of the sectoral legislation, i.e. § 5
necessary updates and deepening compared
para. 3 sentence 2 no. 2 WindSeeG and the
to the existing environmental assessments of
Federal Nature Conservation Act. Overall, the
the FEP and the ROP.
protected assets listed in Article 2 (1) UVPG
are examined. The nature conservation areas "Sylter Außen-
riff - Östliche Deutsche Bucht", "Borkum
Species protection law examination Riffgrund" and "Doggerbank" are located in the
The environmental report also presents the as- German EEZ of the North Sea and were estab-
sessment of the species protection require- lished by ordinance of 22.09.2017.
ments. The assessment will be limited to addi- In the German EEZ of the Baltic Sea, there are
tional or other significant environmental im- the nature conservation areas "Pomeranian
pacts as well as to necessary updates and Bay - Rönnebank", "Fehmarn Belt" and "Ka-
deepening compared to the existing strategic detrinne", which were established by ordinance
environmental assessments for the FEP and of 22.09.2017.
the ROP.
The specifications of the plan shall be exam-
Special provisions with prohibitions are ined for their compatibility with the conservation
applicable to fauna of specially or strictly pro- purpose of the respective ordinance. They are
tected species. Wild animals of specially pro- admissible if, pursuant to section 36, sentence
tected species may not be injured or killed ac- 1, no. 2 in conjunction with section 34, subsec-
cording to section 44 subsection 1 of the tion 2 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act
Federal Nature Conservation Act. Pursuant to
34 Presentation of the individual assessment steps in the environmental report
(BNatSchG), they cannot lead to significant im- regard to their environmental impacts, so that
pairments of the components of the nature con- the consideration of environmental concerns
servation area relevant to the conservation pur- becomes comprehensible when deciding on
pose, or if they meet the requirements under the alternative to be pursued further (Balla, S.
section 34, subsections 3 to 5 of the et al, 2009, p.33).
BNatSchG.
At the same time, the effort required to identify
The impact assessment also takes into account and examine the alternatives under considera-
the long-distance effects of the designations tion must be reasonable. The following applies:
adopted within the EEZ on the protected areas The greater the expected environmental im-
in the adjacent territorial sea and in the adja- pacts and thus the need for conflict manage-
cent waters of the neighbouring countries. This ment in planning, the more extensive or de-
also applies to the assessment and considera- tailed investigations are required.
tion of functional relationships between the in-
In addition to the zero alternative, the environ-
dividual protected areas and the coherence of
mental report will examine spatial and technical
the network of protected areas pursuant to Ar-
alternatives in particular. Alternatives already
ticle 56 (2) of the Federal Nature Conservation
examined in the previous FEP procedures, for
Act, since the habitat of some target species
which no updating or deepening is required, will
(e.g. avifauna, marine mammals) may extend
not be repeated.
across several protected areas due to their
large radius of action. Measures to prevent, reduce
Examination of reasonable and offset significant nega-
alternatives tive impacts of the site de-
velopment plan on the ma-
Pursuant to Art. 5 para. 1 sentence 1 SEA Di-
rective in conjunction with the criteria in Annex rine environment
I SEA Directive and § 40 para. 2 No. 8 UVPG, Pursuant to Section 40 (2) UVPG, the environ-
the environmental report contains a brief de- mental report shall contain a description of the
scription of the reasons for the choice of the measures planned to prevent, reduce and, as
reasonable alternatives examined. At the plan far as possible, offset significant adverse envi-
level, the conceptual/strategic design, spatial ronmental effects resulting from the implemen-
and technical alternatives play a role. The pre- tation of the plan. Avoidance and mitigation
requisite is always that these are reasonable or measures form an essential basis for prevent-
can be seriously considered. ing significant impacts on the marine environ-
ment.
Thus, not all conceivable alternatives have to
be examined. However, it is no longer sufficient In addition, the designations of the FEP are
to identify, describe and assess only those al- subject to a continuous optimisation process,
ternatives that "seriously suggest themselves" as the insights gained on an ongoing basis dur-
or "even impose themselves". The duty to in- ing the SEA and consultation process are taken
vestigate thus extends to all alternatives that into account in the preparation of the plan.
are "not obviously [...] remote" (Wulfhorst, While individual prevention, mitigation and
NVwZ 2011, 1099 (1011) with further refer- compensation measures can already be ap-
ences). The examination of reasonable alterna- plied at the planning level, others only come
tives does not explicitly require the develop- into play during concrete implementation and
ment and assessment of particularly environ- are regulated there in the individual approval
mentally friendly alternatives. Rather, the alter- procedure on a project- and site-specific basis.
natives that are "reasonable" in the above The best prevention and mitigation measure is
sense are to be presented comparatively with
Presentation of the individual assessment steps in the environmental report 35
an appropriate siting/selection of areas and Measures planned to moni-
sites. With regard to planning prevention and tor the environmental im-
mitigation measures, the FEP makes spatial
pact of implementing the
and, by means of planning principles, textual
stipulations that serve to prevent or reduce sig- site development plan
nificant negative impacts of the implementation Pursuant to Section 40 (2) No. 9 UVPG, the en-
of the FEP on the marine environment in ac- vironmental report also contains a description
cordance with the environmental protection ob- of the planned monitoring measures pursuant
jectives set out. to Section 45 UVPG. Monitoring is necessary,
in particular, to identify unforeseen significant
These mitigation and prevention measures are
impacts at an early stage and to be able to take
specified and ordered by the competent licens-
appropriate remedial measures. The monitor-
ing authority at project level for the planning,
ing measures shall be determined on the basis
construction and operation phases and refer to
of the information in the environmental report.
the individual spatial determination types of § 5
para. 1 WindSeeG.
36 References
7 References
Balla, S., Wulfert, K., Peters, H.-J. (2009) Leitfaden zur Strategischen Umweltprüfung (SUP).
Texte 08/09. Dessau-Roßlau, Sachsen-Anhalt, Deutschland: Umweltbundesamt.
BMUB (2016) MSRL-Maßnahmenprogramm zum Meereschutz der deutschen Nord- und Ostsee.
Bonn.
CBD (2000) Decision V/6, Ecosystem approach UN Doc UNEP/CBD/COP/5/23 (22 June 2000).
EuGH, Kommission./.Vereingtes Königreich, C-6/04 (EuGH, Oktober 2005).
Köppel, J, Geißler, G, Rehhausen, A, Wende, W, Albrecht, J, Syrbe, R, Magel, I, Scholles, F,
Putschky, M, Hoppenstedt, A, Stemmer, B (2017) Strategische Umweltprüfung und (neuartige)
Pläne und Programme auf Bundesebene – Methoden, Verfahren und Rechtsgrundlagen. Im Auf-
trag des Umweltbundesamtes. Berlin.
Landmann/Rohmer (2018) Umweltrecht Band I - Kommentar zum UVPG. München: C.H.Beck.
Peters, W, Weingarten, E, Schicketanz, S, Balla, S (2017) Die Alternativenprüfung in der Strate-
gischen Umweltprüfung und der Umweltverträglichkeitsprüfung. Im Auftrag des Umweltbundes-
amtes. Berlin.
Schomerus, T., Runge, K., Nehls, G., Busse, J., Nommel, J., & Poszig, D. (2006) Strategische
Umweltprüfung für die Offshore Windenergienutzung. Grundlagen ökologischer Planung beim
Ausbau der Offshore-Windenergie in der deutschen Ausschließlichen Wirtschaftszone. Schriften-
reihe Umweltrecht in Forschung und Praxis, S. 551.
UBA, Umweltbundesamt (Hrsg.) (2017) Umweltbelange der Meeresraumordnung in der deut-
schen ausschließlichen Wirtschaftszone (AWZ) unter Berücksichtigung des Ökosystemansatzes.
Dessau-Roßlau.
Annex 37
8 Annex
Data and knowledge bases Environmental Report on the Spatial De-
velopment Plan 2021 for the German Ex-
In addition to the overview of the data basis in
clusive Economic Zone in the Baltic Sea
Chapter 5.1, the following is a compilation of
BfN (2017): Die Meeresschutzgebiete in
relevant documents that are to be used as a
der deutschen ausschließlichen Wirt-
basis for the assessment of additional or other
schaftszone der Nordsee - Beschreibung
significant environmental effects as well as the
und Zustandsbewertung
necessary updates and deepening of the de-
scription and assessment of the environmental BfN (2017): Methodik der Management-
status in the study area and for the assessment planung für die Schutzgebiete in der deut-
of the likely significant environmental effects, schen ausschließlichen Wirtschaftszone
the site and species protection assessment der Nord- und Ostsee
and the alternatives assessment. This over- Results from the monitoring of Natura
view is a draft; it is explicitly not complete and 2000 sites
not conclusive. Mapping instructions for §30 biotope
types
Status reports of the regional marine con-
Data, expert opinions and reports from
vention OSPAR
the operation of offshore wind farms
Findings and results from R&D projects
Data, expert opinions and reports from
commissioned by BfN and/or BSH and
approval procedures for offshore wind
from accompanying ecological research
farms, connection lines and interconnect-
Results from EU cooperation projects,
ors
such as Pan Baltic Scope and SEANSE
Results from the preliminary land use
Project results FABENA
study
Studies/ technical literature, expert opin-
Environmental Report on the 2021 Spatial
ions
Development Plan for the German Exclu-
Current red lists
sive Economic Zone in the North Sea
Comments of the technical authorities
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In detail:
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