The impact and compensation of offshore wind farm development: Analysing the institutional discourse from a french case study

Type Article
Date 2014-09
Language English
Author(s) Kermagoret CharleneORCID1, Levrel Harold2, Carlier AntoineORCID3
Affiliation(s) 1 : Univ Western Brittany, UMR AMURE, IUEM, F-29238 Brest 3, France.
2 : IFREMER, Ctr Brest, UMR AMURE, Marine Econ Unit, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
3 : IFREMER, DYNECO, Benth Ecol Lab, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
Source Scottish Geographical Journal (1470-2541) (Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd), 2014-09 , Vol. 130 , N. 3 , P. 188-206
DOI 10.1080/14702541.2014.922209
WOS© Times Cited 8
Note Special Issue: Geography, Communities and Energy Futures: Alternative Research Paths
Keyword(s) communities of practice, ecosystem services, compensatory measures, no-net-loss goal, arine renewable energy, offshore wind farm
Abstract In France, the public acceptability of marine renewable energies and their impacts on ecosystem services (ES) involves questions about compensation for stakeholders, who may perceive some of their activities and interests to be modified. This paper seeks to understand how impacts on ES are perceived by institutional stakeholders and what is expected in terms of compensation. It also seeks to identify the communities of practice affected. We focus our study on the planned offshore wind farm in the bay of Saint-Brieuc. Our results show that institutional discourse is heterogeneous, depending on sensitivities, interests, and who or what the stakeholders surveyed represent or defend. Stakeholders' discourse can be interpreted on various gradients of perception. Six distinct communities of practice have been identified, based on the impacts perceived by institutional stakeholders. Lastly, we show that the community of practice seems to be a proper level at which to study perceptions and assess the no-net-loss goal.
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