Synthesis of MRE technologies and their potential impacts on marine biodiversity

Three main challenges have been identified for the development of renewable energies: to ensure a safe electric power supply, to limit impacts of this supply on the environment, and to maintain an affordable power price for the largest part of the population. While focussing on the case of Marine Renewable Energies (MREs), this study considers the main principles of emerging MRE technologies, and proposes an assessment of ecological impacts identified in Northern Europe. It also proposes sheets to help AMP (Protected Marine Areas) managers to guarantee the compliance of MRE projects. Thus, the report present the different MRE technologies (offshore wind energy, wave energy, current energy, sea thermal energy, tidal energy, electrical connection) and an assessment of foreign MRE installations. It proposes an overview of the policy of the environment in Europe and in France: European posture (history, tools, stakes), French posture in favour of sustainable development (context and history, development of renewable energies, call for projects), integration of the protection of the environment into EMR strategy (context and history, intervention of the AMP Agency), legal regime of EMR in France (authorisations, procedures, fee and electricity price, case of over-sea territories), comparison with the British MRE regulatory framework. It discusses the effects of MREs on the marine environment during a project process (from planning to dismantling), in terms of classification of impacts, in terms of pressures (differences between effects and pressures), in terms of pressures during the different project phases, and in terms of cumulated effects. Impacts of MREs on marine biodiversity are then discussed with respect to different marine species