Environmental impact assessment follow-up in offshore wind energy development: strengths and gaps from regulatory frameworks in the international context

Offshore wind energy (OWE) has gained international prominence as an alternative for the energy transition. Due to their potentially significant impacts, OWE projects are often subject to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Within the EIA process, follow-up is a crucial step in informing project’s management and enabling learning for future EIAs. Given that the regulatory framework is a core dimension of governance and foundational to effective EIA practice, this study provided a critical analysis of the strengths and gaps of EIA follow-up regulatory frameworks for OWE in six countries: China, the Netherlands, England, the United States, Australia, and Brazil. Results showed that EIA follow-up is required for OWE projects in all countries analysed, with similar requirements regarding activities and interested parties’ responsibilities, and with some promising practices identified in certain countries. However, most frameworks lack requirements and mechanisms to enable adaptive management, learning for future EIAs, community engagement, and public disclosure. To overcome these gaps, guidance documents may play an important role in complementing legal provisions by providing and regularly updating guidelines in alignment with EIA best practice principles.