PowerPlant 2.0: practical actions for integrating biodiversity into renewable and grid projects

We collaborated with industry, civil society and experts to produce guidance that will help utility companies across Europe address the twin threats of climate change and biodiversity loss.

WSP supported Eurelectric – the federation that speaks for more than 3,500 European utilities active in power generation, distribution and supply – as knowledge partner on its PowerPlant 2.0 guide.

PowerPlant 2.0 sets out Europe-wide guiding principles on biodiversity integration practices and success factors. It offers practical actions for all stages – from siting to decommissioning – of solar, onshore and offshore wind, hydropower (including pumped storage), and distribution grid projects.

By providing best-practice principles for integrating biodiversity into new projects, our work helps developers secure the optimum outcome for their sites and minimise risks. It also provides policymakers with a framework to scale up projects benefitting biodiversity.

Location

Europe

% of respondents agreed somewhat or highly with all the principles, on average.

73%

% of the principles are already implemented, on average.

44%

% of respondents said making a measurable commitment and additional conservation outcomes were difficult or very difficult to implement.

60-70%

This study is informed by our extensive research. We’ve managed to tease out some of the key challenges and opportunities that biodiversity integration offers to the renewables sector.

Jonny Miller Technical Lead, Strategic Biodiversity

Jonny Miller Technical Lead, Strategic Biodiversity

Our work with Eurelectric comes at a crucial time. Today, Europe’s power system is undergoing a dramatic transformation to reach the EU’s target of doubling renewables capacity by 2030. Meanwhile, the EU Biodiversity Strategy supports global ambitions to restore and protect biodiversity by 2050, and transforming commitments into actionable plans is a key theme of the COP16 biodiversity summit. PowerPlant 2.0 is helping the renewables industry lead the way by integrating biodiversity into projects.

Establishing principles for biodiversity integration

The PowerPlant 2.0 guidebook establishes 12 principles of biodiversity integration in three overarching groups, the first of which focuses on the mitigation hierarchy. This sequential approach seeks to avoid, minimise, restore, and offset negative biodiversity impacts to make a measurable contribution to biodiversity.

The second group of principles covers identifying the right measures, both on and off-site, to bring additional biodiversity benefits. This includes working with local and national communities, authorities and stakeholders – with a clear consideration of risks and an equitable sharing of benefits.

And the third group of principles relates to securing long-term benefits and ensuring best practice is shared across all parties and with the wider public. The emphasis here is on striving to achieve positive outcomes for the wider ecosystem and community.

These principles are accompanied by practical actions illustrating how to integrate biodiversity into individual wind, solar, hydropower and grid infrastructure projects. For example, the first principle for a hydropower project would be to identify, and then avoid, key freshwater habitats or species – by prioritising sites on altered or impaired river stretches, or by powering, repowering or upgrading existing structures. And during the operational phase, a solar farm could maintain wildflower-rich grassland areas using seasonal grazing and low stocking densities.

The guidance includes 18 case studies across a range of technologies and European countries, that show how these practical actions are already being put in place on projects.

^{The 12 principles are arranged in 3 broad groups}

Drawing on expertise, experience and collaboration

To produce the guidance, our Nature Advisory team drew on WSP’s technical expertise and capacity to deliver within tight deadlines. We also benefited from our long experience working with regulators, institutes and companies including SSER to develop tools and guidance that have helped the industry to deliver and measure changes in biodiversity.

We began our work on PowerPlant 2.0 with a literature review of biodiversity legislation, measurement methodologies, guidance and standards. This review also examined the approach of businesses that were going beyond current environmental compliance.

Through interviews, we collected information from key industry experts, non-governmental organisations and Eurelectric members. Together, we explored themes ranging from country-specific biodiversity legislation to drivers for conserving and enhancing biodiversity.

At key stages throughout the project, we discussed our findings with experts at a series of interactive remote and in-person workshops where we used digital tools to capture opinions. We collated the experts’ feedback on proposed elements of the guidebook and considered their opinions throughout the process, along with input from wider consultation with industry and nature conservation organisations.

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Once we had drafted the principles, we surveyed 25 developers and operators. This provided Eurelectric’s wider membership with a chance to respond to guidebook recommendations. We found that 73% of respondents agreed somewhat or highly with all the principles, while, on average, 44% of the principles are already being implemented.

Our survey also found that 60-70% of respondents thought that the principles related to making a measurable commitment and additional conservation outcomes were difficult or very difficult to implement. The PowerPlant 2.0 guidebook now provides companies with a practical resource to overcome these challenges.

Our work was well received at Eurelectric’s Power Summit 2024 in Athens and at the guidebook’s formal launch in Brussels. We’re now working with clients to implement the principles in their businesses and projects. We believe firmly that integrating biodiversity can benefit business, society and the environment, and we’re excited about the contribution the renewables sector can make towards a net-zero and nature-positive future.