WILLEND ASSOCIATES 

Project Management - Development Consent Compliance 

Q3-2018 to Q3-2021, we were appointed by ScottishPower Renewables to provide specialist Project Management-Development Consent Compliance Advice services on the East Anglia ONE offshore windfarm project. The windfarm is in the North Sea, 43km from the East Anglian coast in England and it has a capacity of up to 714MW of clean energy to power 630,000 homes. 

Project Management - Environmental Advice and Consenting

Q4-2021 to Q2-2023, we were appointed by NKT to provide Environmental Management and Consenting services on the onshore section of the East Anglia THREE offshore windfarm project. The onshore scope includes the design, manufacture and installation of 40km of high-voltage cables (320kV DC). When completed the project will generate up to 1400 MW of renewable energy to power over one million homes.  

Project Management - Consent Compliance

Q2-2023, we were appointed by Red Rock Power to provide Consenting Compliance Services on the onshore section of the Inch Cape Offshore windfarm project. The windfarm is located 15km off the Angus Coast in Scotland. The project will have a generating capacity of 1GW of clean energy to power 1.7million homes and will leverage on technology to generate power from 72 offshore wind turbines connected to an onshore substation that will be built on land previously used by a coal power station.

Environmental Advocacy - Digital Impact Assessments

Q3-2021, in collaboration with our colleagues in Nigeria, we participated in a global study titled "The State of Digital Impact Assessment Practice". The study findings are available from: 

• www.iaia.org/publications.php
• www.fothergilltc.com/digital

Q2-2022, we organised a webinar titled "Digital Environmental
Impact Assessment - Benefits, Opportunities and Challenges for Nigeria". The webinar presenters included the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Environment (FMEnv), Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (UK) and Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment. It was attended by ESIA practitioners in Nigeria, Netherlands, UK, Qatar and Sierra Leone.

Q1-2023, with support from the UK Department of International Trade and in partnership with FothergillTC we completed a study that explored the feasibility, opportunities and challenges of digitising the Environmental Impact Assessment processes in Nigeria. 

Q3-2023, whilst awaiting the formal launching of the research report findings, we initiated an agreement between the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Nigerian Federal Ministry of Environment for the deployment of Artificial Intelligence on Environmental Impact Assessments reports.

Q1-2024, in partnership with FothergillTC, the report was launched to a global audience webinar hosted by the International Association of Impact Assessment.

The research report "Enabling Digital Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Nigeria" is available for free download from: 

• https://www.paperturn-view.com/?pid=ODc8778619&v=1.1

The recording of the webinar is available from: 

• https://www.iaia.org/webinar-details.php?ID=86

Feasibility Study - Waste Management

Q1-2019, we identified an opportunity in the waste management sector of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Several enquires were made and it revealed that the gap in the market had remained untapped for several years.

Q3-2019, we entered into a partnership agreement with the University of Uyo, Nigeria to undertake a concept feasibility study to validate the opportunity identified.

Q3-2020, our concept feasibility study was successfully completed despite the significant challenges of the coronavirus (Covid 19) pandemic. The results of the feasibility study provided valuable quantitative and qualitative data to inform the decision of establishing an industrial waste facility in Nigeria.

Environmental Impact Assessment - Waste Management

Discussions are inprogress with respective government departments, stakeholders, potential investors and technical partners to establish an "Integrated Waste Management Facility" in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The proposed facility will be capable of treating hazardous / non-hazardous waste and will adopt the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a guiding principle for decision making.

Q4-2020, we submitted an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Permit application to the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria.

Q1-2021, we received a "no-objection" from the Federal Ministry of Environment to proceed to the next phase of the ESIA.

Q2-2022, after the delays caused by coronavirus (Covid 19) pandemic, key milestones of the ESIA were achieved, including: site verification, scoping workshop, stakeholder engagements, digital field sample collection and laboratory analysis. These exercises were observed by representatives of the Federal and State Ministries of Environment.

Q4-2022, we received Interim Approval of the ESIA from the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria.

Q1-2023, we received Full Approval of the ESIA from the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria. The approval is a major milestone for the project and will enable us to proceed to the next phase of the project which will include (but not limited to) detailed design, securing waste off take agreements, project financing etc.

Q4-2023, we facilitated the a "design thinking workshop" between the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Nigerian Federal Ministry of Environment. The workshop was a first in the series that is aimed at formulating the strategy for the integration of Artificial Intelligence in environmental impact assessment process in Nigeria.