Investigating the reuse of excavated peat on wind farm development sites

Minimising peat excavation is crucial to avoid carbon emissions, protect biodiversity and ensure downstream water quality. Building on peatlands inevitably results in the excavation and disturbance of peat. To inform how best to balance the benefits of renewable energy projects with the requirement to protect and restore peatland habitats, there is a need to gather evidence on the impacts and opportunities regarding the reuse of excavated peat. 

This project investigates the opportunities, impacts, and challenges associated with the reuse of excavated peat from windfarm construction sites. From a  review of published evidence, stakeholder discussions and site visits to peatland wind farms, the researchers have proposed identified three main issues and made three recommendations. 

Issues  

Issue 1: Avoidance of peat excavation: As a critical first step to protect peatland, biodiversity, and maintain water cycle connectivity, peat excavation must be minimised. 

Issue 2: Preparation and planning issues: Site surveys often lack the requisite detail to effectively avoid deep peat areas during construction leading to problems with removal of greater volumes of peat than expected that require reuse.  

Issue 3: Carbon storage: Accurate carbon calculations are needed to fully understand the impact of the wind farm. However, this study found that more peat is often excavated than planned, highlighting the need for greater accuracy in carbon excavation measurements.  

Recommendations 

Recommendation 1: The development of guidance for site planning and peat reuse hierarchy and principles. The guidance should aim to avoid or minimise peat excavation wherever possible and identify locally relevant reuse options. And use of hierarchy and guiding pronicples of peat reuse should aim to maximise the positive environmental outcomes.  

Recommendation 2: Create an environmental outcomes framework to ensure a balanced approach to peat reuse. The framework should prioritise minimising carbon loss, promoting positive biodiversity outcomes and ensuring downstream water quality. 

Recommendation 3: Enhance monitoring of environmental outcomes from reuse of peat to improve and inform the reuse hierarchy and implementation of best practice techniques. This should include:  

• Monitoring accurate peat excavation volumes at the end of construction to build a dataset to be used within the sector for more accurate carbon calculations and reuse planning.  

• Regular monitoring of wetness of the peat, carbon fluxes and vegetation surveys to understand the broader environmental impact of peat reuse.  

• Greater data sharing and collaboration between energy companies and the academic community to refine the reuse hierarchy and best practice in the field. 

For further information, please read the report.

If you require the report in an alternative format, such as a Word document, please contact info@climatexchange.org.uk or 0131 651 4783.