Kentish Flats Ltd (KFL) developed a Wind Farm within the outer Thames Estuary and offshore of north Kent. The site occupies an area of 10km2 and lies approximately 8.5km north of Herne Bay. The scheme is in response to authoritative licensing of Wind Farm developments, which are necessary to fulfil
government commitments to the increased exploitation of renewable energy resources.
As part of the application process for permission to develop the Kentish Flats site, a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was required. A baseline ecological survey was conducted prior to commencing the work in order to provide baseline data on the physical and biological conditions of the development
site. A series of post construction benthic surveys are required as part of Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (FEPA) licence No. 31780/03/0 in order to detect if any changes have occurred within the benthic environment following commencement of work.
The first post construction benthic survey was conducted in 2005 after the completion of the monopile foundations and finalisation of cable laying. Additional operational surveys were required following the installation of the turbines.
The 2006 macro-benthic ecology survey within Kentish Flats is the second in a series of studies following the development of the Windfarm. The data generated from the survey were analysed and compared with those obtained from previous surveys, including the 2002 baseline study and the 2005 first post-construction study. The aim was to investigate if any significant changes have occurred with respect to the physical characteristics and associated biological communities of the benthic environment since the Windfarm development began.
The 2007 macrobenthic ecology survey within Kentish Flats is the third in a series of studies following the development of the Wind Farm. The data generated from the survey were analysed and compared with those obtained from previous surveys, including the 2002 baseline study and the 2005 and 2006 post-construction studies. The aim was to investigate if any significant changes have occurred with respect to the physical characteristics and associated biological communities of the benthic environment that might be attributable to the construction or operation of the Kentish Flats Offshore Wind Farm.