Maurice Hill

1

Environmental Risk Analysis and Wave Energy
Examples of How to Assess Potential Impacts of
Wave Energy on the Environment

• Maurice Hill
• Alternative Energy Alternate Use Program, MMS
• Presented by
• Fred Piltz, MMS
• Ecological Effects of Wave Energy Workshop
  Hatfield Marine Science Center
• October 11, 2007

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Risk Analysis of Wave Energy Projects

• Develop a complete project description
• Identify impacting agents (or stressors)

3
Risk Analysis of Wave Energy Projects

• Key Stressors for Wave Energy Projects
• Emplacement mainly temporary
• disturbances (e.g., benthic smothering)
• Operation
• Buoys
• Transmission system
• Anchoring system
• Decommissioning
• Routine and emergency maintenance

4
Risk Analysis of Wave Energy Projects

• Major Issues by Stressor
• Wave and current modification
• New hard structures water
• column and benthic
• Electromagnetic fields
• Chemical toxicity
• Acoustics
• Cumulative effects

5
Risk Analysis of Wave Energy Projects

• Identify geographic scope or boundary of project
• Identify temporal scope or boundary of project

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Risk Analysis of Wave Energy Projects

• Identify resources (or receptors) that could be
  affected and regulatory protections
• Define significance threshold(s) for receptor
• Conduct public scoping process to identify issues
  and concerns, data sources, etc.

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Risk Analysis of Wave Energy Projects

• Describe baseline for the receptor
• Assess potential direct and indirect impacts to
  receptor from each project stressor

8
Risk Analysis of Wave Energy Projects

• Determine the probability (risk) of the impacts
  actually occurring
• Describe potential direct and indirect impacts to
  receptor from total of all project stressors

9
Risk Analysis of Wave Energy Projects

• Identify the magnitude and significance of the
  impact to the local population regional
  population
• Describe cumulative impacts for receptor

10
Risk Analysis of Wave Energy Projects

• Identify potential mitigation measures for each
  impact
• Determine residual effect with mitigation

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Risk Analysis of Wave Energy Projects

• Identify alternative approaches to the project
• Develop inspection strategy
• Develop monitoring strategy
• Develop adaptive management strategy

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Adaptive Management
13
Matrix Approach