AbstractMunitions and explosives of concern (MEC) in U.S. waters can present a risk to the development and operation of offshore wind energy resources. Therefore, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management requires offshore wind energy developers to evaluate the risk MEC
poses to the development, operation, and maintenance of offshore wind energy generation and transmission systems. This article describes an MEC risk management framework consisting of the following steps: (1) MEC hazard assessment, (2) MEC risk assessment, (3) MEC risk validation, and (4)
MEC risk mitigation. The MEC hazard assessment involves historical research to identify MEC potentially present in the development area. The MEC risk assessment evaluates the development activities and provides a relative MEC risk ranking for those activities. The developer determines the
acceptability of these risks, and any potentially unacceptable MEC risks undergo risk validation through field surveys. The developer then considers the tolerability of the validated risks and develops and implements an appropriate MEC risk mitigation strategy based on actual site conditions.
A risk framework provides a structured method to plan and operationalize the identification, evaluation, and mitigation of MEC risk throughout the development, operation, and maintenance life cycle of an offshore wind energy generation and transmission project.
Floating offshore wind energy generation
