Aquatera Atlántico: INF4INiTY and The Growing Importance of Social and Environmental Impact in Offshore Wind

The social and environmental impacts of offshore wind projects have gained increasing relevance in recent years, driven by the rapid growth of this sector and its supporting infrastructure. Recent offshore renewable energy tenders reflect how different countries are approaching these challenges and the value they place on social and environmental considerations. The AO8 tender call, seeking bids for a 1.6GW offshore wind site off the coast of Normandy, France, presents a clear example of these changing considerations; the tender marked a turning point by assigning greater weight to non-economic criteria. Unlike previous tenders, such as AO5 – a tender to develop France’s first commercial floating offshore wind farm - where environmental criteria accounted for 25% of the score, AO8 increased this share to 30%, with the remaining 70% based on price. In addition, mandatory commitments outside the scoring system were introduced, such as a minimum contribution of €15 million to a Biodiversity Fund and €10 million to territorial development measures - addressing social, cultural, and educational issues. AO8 also requires specific territorial integration actions, such as local coastal information offices and impact studies on existing activities like fishing.
 
At Aquatera Atlántico, we aim to contribute our expertise to help advance offshore wind projects that generate greater social and environmental value. One of our key initiatives in this area is being developed within the INF4INiTY project, where we are creating a social impact model integrated into the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE). This model incorporates social factors - such as community acceptance, public participation, compensation schemes, and local development investments - into the LCOE, which traditionally focuses solely on technical and financial aspects. By including these dimensions, we provide a more realistic and comprehensive view of a project’s total cost.
 
This new model builds upon our previous work on a social acceptance measurement tool for offshore renewables, which includes forecasts of the social investment required for project implementation. It allows developers to assess community acceptance and anticipate associated social costs, reduce risks, improve financial planning, and strengthen relationships with local stakeholders. In turn, this enhances strategic decision-making, increases social sustainability, and improves project viability and competitiveness in investment and tendering processes.
 
The next step is to validate these models through two pilot case studies: one in Scotland and another in Chile. In Chile, we will collaborate with three local organisations based in the north, centre, and south of the country - each with extensive experience in marine environmental issues and engagement with coastal communities - along with a wider intersectoral community that recognises the major relevance of such issues for successful project development and implementation. Chile hosts a community with a wealth of experience developing participatory mechanisms that integrate the most relevant aspects for a project's social acceptance. These learning merits are to be studied to recognise inclusive actions that can encourage the offshore renewable energy sector to grow in a socially and environmentally integrated way. Some of the qualities that have emerged in the history of social participation reflect a strong interest in environmental value (and reducing environmental impacts in project deployment), as well as an emphasis on the governance processes in terms of transparency in decision-making and benefit distribution.