The Norfolk Boreas Offshore Wind Farm Order 2021

Offshore decommissioning E+W

14.—(1) No offshore works may commence until a written decommissioning programme in compliance with any notice served upon the undertaker by the Secretary of State pursuant to section 105(2) of the 2004 Act has been submitted to the Secretary of State for approval.

(2) The obligations under paragraphs (3) and (4) shall only apply in respect of cable protection, apart from at cable crossing locations with existing cables and pipelines, which is installed as part of the authorised project within the Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton Special Area of Conservation as at the date of the grant of the Order.

(3) No later than 4 months prior to each deployment of cable protection in the Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton Special Area of Conservation, except where otherwise stated or unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Secretary of State, the undertaker must submit the following documents for approval by the Secretary of State:

(a) a decommissioning feasibility study on the proposed cable protection to be updated at intervals of not more than every ten years throughout the operational phase of the project;

(b) a method statement for recovery of cable protection; and

(c) a monitoring plan to include appropriate surveys following decommissioning to monitor the recovery of the area of the Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton Special Area of Conservation impacted by cable protection.

(4) No cable protection can be deployed in the Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton Special Area of Conservation until the Secretary of State, in consultation with the MMO and the Statutory Nature Conservation Body approves in writing the documents pursuant to paragraph (3) above.

Commencement Information

I1 Sch. 1 Pt. 3 para. 14 in force at 1.1.2022, see art. 1