The Dogger Bank Teesside A and B Offshore Wind Farm Order 2015

Pre-construction plans and documentation

13.  The licensed activities or any phase of those activities must not commence until the following (insofar as relevant to that activity or phase of activity) have been submitted to and approved in writing by the MMO—

Cable specification and installation plan

(a) a cable specification and installation plan to be agreed in consultation with Trinity House and the MCA that shows the route of the cable to ensure conformity with the description of Work Nos. 2B and 3B. The plan is to include co-ordinates of the transmission works within Work Nos. 1B, 2B and 3B;

Detailed construction and monitoring programme

(b) a detailed construction and monitoring programme, including details of—

(i) the proposed construction commencement date;

(ii) proposed timings for mobilisation of plant, delivery of materials and installation works; and

(iii) proposed pre-construction surveys, a proposed format and content for a baseline report, construction monitoring, post-construction monitoring and related reporting in consultation with the relevant statutory nature conservation body. The pre-construction survey programme and all pre-construction survey methodologies must be submitted to the MMO for written approval at least 4 months before commencement of any survey works detailed within;

Construction method statement

(c) a construction method statement in accordance with the construction methods assessed in the environmental statement, including details of—

(i) drilling methods and arrangements for disposal of drill arisings, in accordance with the disposal scenario statement;

(ii) platform location and installation, including scour protection and foundations which must be those that are able to be completely and safely removed, or reduced to a level below the seabed, at the time of decommissioning;

(iii) cable installation;

(iv) cable installation between MHWS and MLWS;

(v) impact piling soft start procedures;

(vi) the source of rock material used in construction and method to minimise contaminants and fines;

(vii) contractors;

(viii) vessels;

(ix) associated works;

(x) foundation scour protection requirements in a plan produced following pre-construction surveys identifying where scour protection is most likely to be required (an “intelligent scour protection management plan”); and

(xi) details of notification of the closure of the disposal site (reference number DG025) on completion of disposal activities;

Project environmental management and monitoring plan

(d) a project environmental management and monitoring plan that details minimum environmental management requirements expected of all contractors and subcontractors, with regards to marine pollution contingency, waste management and disposal, chemical risk assessment and relevant fisheries liaison matters, including details of—

(i) a marine pollution contingency plan to address the risks, methods and procedures to deal with any spills and collision incidents during construction and operation of the authorised scheme in relation to all activities carried out;

(ii) a chemical risk assessment, including information regarding how and when chemicals are to be used, stored and transported in accordance with recognised best practice guidance;

(iii) waste management and disposal arrangements;

(iv) the fisheries liaison officer, being a person appointed by the undertaker and charged with communication and liaison with the fishing industry as appropriate through the lifetime of the authorised scheme, to be notified to the marine officer for the MMO’s Northern Marine Area and the MMO Marine Licensing Team. Evidence of liaison must be collated so that signatures of attendance at meetings, agenda and minutes of meetings with the fishing industry can be provided to the MMO if requested; and

(v) a fisheries liaison plan in accordance with the draft fisheries liaison plan, including information on liaison with the fishing industry (including the fisheries liaison officer referred to in paragraph (iv)) and a co-existence plan that details how the project will be constructed and operated taking account of the fisheries industry;

Marine mammal mitigation protocol

(e) a marine mammal mitigation protocol with appropriate monitoring surveys in accordance with the offshore in principle monitoring plan, to be agreed in writing by the MMO in consultation with the relevant statutory nature conservation body and the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, the intention of which is to prevent, amongst other things,—

(i) injury to marine mammals, primarily auditory injury in the vicinity of any piling;

(ii) disturbance to marine mammals;

(iii) adversely affecting the integrity, within the meaning of the Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 2007, of a European offshore marine site or a European site (defined in regulations 15 and 24 of those Regulations respectively), to the extent that marine mammals are a protected feature of that site;

Cable specification and installation plan

(f) a cable specification and installation plan, following consultation with the relevant statutory nature conservation body, including—

(i) technical specification of offshore cables, including a desk-based assessment of attenuation of electro-magnetic field strengths, shielding and cable burial depth in accordance with industry good practice;

(ii) a staged cable-laying plan for the Order limits, incorporating a burial risk assessment to ascertain suitable burial depths and cable-laying techniques;

(iii) a cable protection plan providing details of the need, type, sources, quality and installation methods for cable protection; and

(iv) details of the methodology and extent of a post-lay survey to confirm burial depths;

Offshore archaeological written scheme of investigation

(g) an offshore archaeological written scheme of investigation in relation to the offshore areas within the Order limits in accordance with the outline offshore archaeological written scheme of investigation, industry good practice and in consultation with English Heritage, including—

(i) details of responsibilities of the undertaker, archaeological consultant and contractor inclusive of an agreed programme for the publication of results;

(ii) a methodology for any further site investigation including any specifications for geophysical, geotechnical and diver- or remotely-operated vehicle investigations;

(iii) within 3 months of any survey being completed, a timetable to be submitted to the MMO setting out the timeframe for the analysis and reporting of survey data;

(iv) delivery of any mitigation including, where necessary, archaeological exclusion zones;

(v) monitoring during and post-construction, including a conservation programme for finds;

(vi) archiving of archaeological material, including ensuring that a copy of any agreed archaeological report is deposited with the English Heritage archive by submitting an English Heritage OASIS form with a digital copy of the report;

(vii) a reporting and recording protocol, including reporting of any wreck or wreck material during construction, operation and decommissioning of the authorised scheme;

Aids to navigation management plan

(h) an aids to navigation management plan to be agreed in writing by the MMO following consultation with Trinity House and the MCA specifying—

(i) the aids to navigation to be established from the commencement of the authorised scheme to the completion of decommissioning;

(ii) the monitoring and reporting of the availability of aids to navigation; and

(iii) notifications and procedures for ensuring navigational safety following failures to aids to navigation;

Cofferdam method statement

(i) in the event that a temporary cofferdam is constructed in Work No. 3B, a cofferdam method statement for the monitoring and redistribution of sediment, to be agreed in writing by the MMO. The cofferdam method statement must include details of the installation and management of the temporary cofferdam.