Other Permit Awarded

On 11 April 2023, Marine Scotland’s marine licensing portal for the Salamander Offshore Wind Farm recorded the grant of a specific activity licence titled “European Protected Species Licence – Geophysical and Benthic Surveys – Salamander Offshore Wind Farm – 00010272.” The entry appears under the project’s applications and supporting documentation as a “Licence” within the Renewables – Wind category, distinct from the corresponding application record carrying the same reference number and date. This clearly signals that the European Protected Species (EPS) licence for geophysical and benthic surveys associated with Salamander was formally awarded on that date, authorising survey activities that may interact with protected marine species. The Salamander project page on marine.gov.scot lists several related EPS permissions and applications, including earlier and later licence references such as 00009866 and a subsequent variation 00010389, alongside wider pre-application and environmental documentation. Within this broader regulatory context, the grant of Licence 00010272 represents a key step enabling the project’s developers to undertake necessary geophysical and benthic survey work in compliance with protected species legislation. The licensed surveys provide essential seabed and ecological data to inform environmental impact assessments, scoping, and the refinement of the project design and consenting strategy, while demonstrating that Salamander’s survey campaign is proceeding under formal authorisation from the competent marine authority.