Major concerns for developers, financial institutions, and regulators are the risks created when potential offshore wind farm sites encroach upon well-established sea lanes or strategic trade routes. The potential collision risk associated with ships and offshore wind turbines includes damage to both vessel and turbine alike, reduced turbine energy production, worker injuries, environmental damage, and loss of investment. Climate change impacts, including increased storm surges and wave height, can amplify collision risk for disabled vessels if shipping lanes are insufficiently wide. Proximity to offshore turbines can potentially impact vessels' marine navigation/radar systems. From a due diligence perspective, investors need to protect against these risks to minimize project risk and protect their investments. Often, though, shipping and navigational risks are not considered until after site selection, and during environmental site assessments, when risk probability is based on too small a dataset. As a policy matter, this needs to change. These risks must be addressed early and strategically when project siting is being determined. Lessons learned from UK practices for addressing navigational risk can inform US policy.
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