Public Participation in Offshore Wind Development: A Multi-National Analysis of Public Engagements and Consultation Requirements

Abstract

As countries around the world become increasingly invested in offshore renewable energy developments, such as offshore wind farms (OWF), their legal requirements, policies and strategies must safeguard adequate systems of public participation in the decision-making process to ensure equitable outcomes. Public Participation is an instrumental factor in OWF projects, paving the way to success by gaining a social license to operate and increasing public support. However, these developments should only be pursued if they are in service and benefit to the public. The objective of this contribution, therefore, is to assess public participation measures in OWF regimes globally to then provide recommendations for Canada’s offshore wind policy regime that is being spearheaded in the Nova Scotian context. The findings identified in this paper are the result of a created database that synthesizes selected countries' legal and voluntary documents for OWF development. Documents are analyzed by understanding where, when and how the public is involved in the process, their degree of influence, and what return/benefits are gained from development. What’s identified is a difference between planning for acceptance rather than participation. Where acceptance is a condition for development, this nominal democratization of the process takes away from meaningful approaches for public participation. Models for OWF public participation that emphasize greater self-determination for coastal communities in how receive benefit from these projects is necessary. This redistribution of power allows coastal communities to redress inequities from existing developments such as oil and gas, making OWF a true agent of the Blue Economy Strategy.