Application of Marine Spatial Planning tools for tidal stream farm micro-siting

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Date
2022-02-11
Authors
Álvarez, M.
Ramos, V.
Carballo, R.
López, I.
Fouz, D. M.
Iglesias, Gregorio
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Elsevier
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Abstract
The operation of tidal stream energy farms may interfere with other uses of the marine space, especially in depth-limited areas (estuaries, rivers, etc.) which are typically subject to multiple demands of use. The Marine Spatial Planning Directive (MSP) was passed by the European Commission in 2014 to ensure a harmonic coexistence between different maritime activities and to protect the marine environment. In this context, the objective of this work is to present a methodology based on MSP tools for tidal-farm siting in depth-limited areas. The methodology is illustrated through a case study: Ria de Ribadeo, a shallow-water estuary in NW Spain. Having considered a number of uses (archaeological, biodiversity, fishing, aquaculture, recreational and navigation), two exploitable tidal farm sites (Areas A and C) with annual energy densities of 1  were found. The estuary is periodically dredged to maintain navigation. Dredging-related risks were analysed using a novel indicator, the Dredging Associated Risk (DAR), based on which Area C was discarded and Area A had its exploitable surface area reduced by 25%. In sum, the methodology proposed was proven to be effective for tidal stream farm planning.
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Keywords
Depth-limited tidal sites , Dredging Associated Risk (DAR) , Good Environmental Status (GES) , Maritime planning system , Ria de ribadeo
Citation
Álvarez, M., Ramos, V., Carballo,R., López, I., Fouz, D. M. and Iglesias, G. (2022) 'Application of Marine Spatial Planning tools for tidal stream farm micro-siting'. Ocean & Coastal Management, 220, 106063 (14 pp). doi: 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2022.106063