New Article `Wind Farm Waste in the EU, Denmark and the UK` published in OGEL 2 (2018)

A new article titled `Wind Farm Waste - Emerging Issues with Decommissioning and Waste Regulation in the EU, Denmark and the United Kingdom` has been published in a special issue of OGEL. I had the pleasure of cooperating with Dr. Heyd Fernandes Mas and Ceciel Nieuwenhout, LLM for this. The abstract can be found below and the article is available here.


26 years after starting operations, the first European offshore wind farm, Vindeby in Denmark, is being decommissioned. The article marks the occasion by examining current law and emerging practice on the decommissioning of offshore renewable energy installations in Europe. Its special focus lies with the frequently overlooked issue of waste disposal regulation after dismantling of offshore wind farms.
The article is concerned with the interplay of waste and decommissioning rules. It analyses the waste hierarchy and other relevant concepts and norms of waste regulation in the context of decommissioning of offshore wind farms and investigates how the disassembled and removed components of offshore windmills have to be treated.
In addition, the article compares regulatory frameworks and practices on the management of waste from offshore wind farms under international law as well as in two countries with large installed capacities - the United Kingdom and Denmark. The waste disposal regimes and decommissioning programmes for offshore wind farms in both countries form the focal point of the analysis in this article. The article concludes with three recommendations on how to improve the international and national waste management arrangements for offshore wind farms. These recommendations pertain to the entire life-cycle of offshore wind farms, starting with the design phase right through to decommissioning and post decommissioning. The article, inter alia, proposes the inclusion of a new ‘circular design’ provision in relevant decommissioning regulation.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New EU Gas Package Proposal - A Legal Analysis

Image
  Today the European Commission presented its proposals for a new gas package, called the ` Hydrogen and Decarbonized Gas Markets´-package. The package consists of a revised Gas Directive (COM(2021) 803 final) (hereafter: rGD), a revised Gas Regulation (COM(2021) 804 final) (hereafter: rGR) and a Regulation on the Reduction of Methane Emissions in the Energy Sector (COM(2021) 805 final) (hereafter: MER). Today`s proposal are only the beginning of a longer legislative process, as the package needs to be discussed with and resolved by the Council and the European Parliament. However, it is crucial in setting the tone and the main pillars. Can the package deliver on hydrogen regulation, decarbonization and gas security of supply? This blog post takes a look and provides a legal analysis of the proposed revisions.
Read more

Dutch Elections: Energy and Climate Considerations

Image
    By Ceciel Nieuwenhout, Postdoctoral researcher at GCELS and City Council member for GroenLinks On 17 March 2021 the people of the Netherlands will elect a new House of Representatives ( Tweede Kamer) , which also kickstarts the formation process for a new government ( regering). This blogpost shows what is at stake regarding climate and energy policy, focusing on the election programmes of the different political parties. This blog consists of three parts. First, an introduction to the political landscape of the Netherlands will be given. Second, the context of these elections and the position of energy and climate policy therein will be illustrated. The third part of the blog shows the positions of the parties on various themes: general climate targets and international cooperation; the different opinions on the energy mix of the future; developments in hydrogen, infrastructure, storage and CCS. It concludes with some remarks on the built environment, and finally, the question “w
Read more

Independence of German National Regulatory Authority (NRA) called into Question - Case Comment C-718/18 Commission v Germany

Image
The Court of Justice of the European Union found on 2 September 2021 in case C-718/18 that Germany failed to properly transpose various provisions of the main EU Energy Directives of the Third Energy Package, namely 2009/72 (electricity) and 2009/73 (gas). Especially the allocation of responsibilities in German energy law ( Energiewirtschaftsgesetz EnWG ) is not in line with the envisaged responsibilities reserved exclusively for national regulatory authorities. In other words: the court found that there is too much possibility for political influence on decisions on network-bound energy in Germany. But what does this mean in detail? Will German Energy Law now have to undergo fundamental revision?
Read more