NRW Awards Marine and Coastal Framework Agreement

An environmental and engineering consultancy in the U.K., JBA Consulting, and its strategic partner, marine experts Partrac, have been appointed by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) as independent specialists on its Marine and Coastal Casework Framework. The partnership will provide a range of services under the framework’s coastal/marine physical processes and geomorphology lot.

With its extensive coastline, strategically located deep ports, and ambitious renewable energy targets, Wales is becoming a hub for major coastal and marine infrastructure projects. As a result, NRW is increasingly required to advise on complex and technically challenging projects such as the proposed tidal lagoons around the coast of Wales. To ensure that the advice provided to the Welsh and other U.K. governments, developers and other stakeholders is to the highest standard, NRW has sought independent expert input in a range of areas.

JBA Consulting and Partrac will provide expert advice on coastal/physical process and water quality aspects of marine and coastal casework, in particular marine renewable energy proposals. This will include recommendations for data collection/collation, analysis, modeling and interpretation to ensure that a robust impact assessment is undertaken. Further responsibilities will be to review detailed modelling outputs and advise on robustness/validity.

Commenting on the appointment, Dr Mark Lawless, Head of Marine and Coastal Risk Management at JBA Consulting said, “We are delighted with the appointment and look forward to continuing our relationship with NRW and our Strategic Partner, Partrac. The combination of JBA’s expert modelling skills and Partrac’s innovative and highly experienced data acquisition experience, means we are ideally placed to provide holistic advice on the physical and geomorphological processes which are associated with coastal and marine developments. Our project team has delivered more than 100 marine and coastal related projects in Wales and throughout the U.K. over the past 10 years."

He continued, "Through this work, we have developed an in depth understanding and knowledge of the U.K. marine and coastal environment, and are eager to apply these skills to the varied and pioneering projects being developed in Welsh waters.”

The Framework will remain in place until 2018.