Other Permit Submitted

On 11 April 2023, an application for a European Protected Species (EPS) Licence related to geophysical and benthic surveys for the Salamander Offshore Wind Farm was submitted to Marine Scotland. The Marine Scotland project page records this as “European Protected Species Licence Application – Geophysical and Benthic Surveys – Salamander Offshore Wind Farm – 00010272,” categorised under Applications for renewables – wind, with a submission date of 2023-04-11. This indicates that the project’s developers were seeking specific regulatory approval to undertake survey activities that could interact with species protected under European legislation. The same Marine Scotland entry groups this EPS licence application alongside associated licences and a later variation for geophysical and benthic surveys, showing an established regulatory pathway for survey permissions on Salamander. An earlier EPS licence application and licence (reference 00009866) are also listed, demonstrating that survey-related EPS consents for the project have been managed through multiple application and licensing steps over time. The 00010272 application represents a further, clearly documented stage in securing the necessary wildlife protection consents for continued survey work. Submission of this EPS licence application was a prerequisite for conducting the planned geophysical and benthic surveys in compliance with environmental regulation. With the application formally logged by Marine Scotland, the next steps would have involved regulatory assessment and, where appropriate, issuing of the corresponding licence and any subsequent variations required as the survey programme evolved.