The Dogger Bank is a sandbank in the North Sea that lies submerged below sea level. It is located in the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of Great Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany. Parts of the German, British and Dutch EEZs in this area are a nature reserve.
The study was prepared on behalf of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK).
The following topics were analysed together with IBL Umweltplanung, Deutsche WindGuard and Professor Gerold Janssen LLD:
- Legal and political framework conditions in the German Exclusive Economic Zone of the North Sea
- Technological developments
- Basic research to determine the carrying capacity of the ecosystems in the Dogger Bank nature reserve
Based on the results, various scenarios of further development were defined including their respective impacts on the living environment.
It was not possible to prioritise these scenarios due to gaps in technological knowledge and a partial lack of knowledge about the biological effects. In order to close these knowledge gaps, the study identified the need for action and research.
Before a decision is made on wind energy use in the Dogger Bank nature reserve, time should be used to close the knowledge gaps identified in the study and to follow up on the proposed research requirements.
