A risk assessment methodology for combining marine renewables with other blue economy activities via multi-use of spaces and platforms. H.E. Williams #1 , I. Masters #2 , D. Pletsas #3 , C. Fuentes Grunewald ‡4 , R. Callaway ‡5 , M. Blanch *6 , G. Dalton †7 . # Marine Energy Research Group, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, SA1 8EN, UK. 1 hannah.e.williams@swansea.ac.uk; 2 i.masters@swansea.ac.uk; 3 d.pletsas@swansea.ac.uk ‡ College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK. 4 c.fuentesgrunewald@swansea.ac.uk; 5 r.m.callaway@swansea.ac.uk *BVG Associates Ltd, The Blackthorn Centre, Purton Road, Cricklade Swindon, SN6 6HY, UK. 6 mjb@bvgassociates.co.uk † Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy (MaREI), University College Cork, IMERC Campus, Co. Cork, ROI. 7 g.dalton@ucc.ie Abstract— The future growth of maritime activities may be limited due to competition for space as coastal areas become overcrowded. This has led to interest in promoting more efficient and sustainable use of the sea and its resources through the sharing of space. The MARIBE (MARine Investment for the Blue Economy) project investigated the potential of combining marine renewable energy technologies with other emerging industries. The project assessed potential combinations, and identified challenges including the perception of risk due to the combination of new technologies. This work documents the methodology used to assign the risks to various potential combination projects within the blue economy, and applies it to one of the MARIBE case studies: combining wave energy with aquaculture. A standardised methodology of risk assessment was developed comprising three core elements of the risk management process: risk identification, risk analysis and risk mitigation. This method could be applied to each potential project combination, allowing results to be directly comparable, and allowing all stakeholders to have a full understanding of the risks identified. By using a standardised methodology, critical risks could be identified and mitigated, allowing informed decisions to be made on the most suitable combination projects to pursue. The methodology can be applied to other combination projects within these sectors. KEYWORDS—RISK ASSESSMENT; MULTI-USE OF SPACE; MULTI- USE PLATFORM; BLUE ECONOMY; BLUE GROWTH. I. INTRODUCTION Our oceans are important drivers for economic growth. They provide natural capital and ecosystem services, access to trade and transport and opportunities for leisure activities. This type of economic activity in the maritime sector is referred to as the ‘blue economy’, which according to the European Commission currently represents roughly 5.4 million jobs and generates a gross added value of almost €500 billion a year, with further potential for growth [1]. However, as maritime activity increases, so does the competition for space as coastal areas become overcrowded. This has led to interest in promoting more efficient and sustainable use of both the sea and resources, through the sharing of space. The MARIBE (MARine Investment for the Blue Economy www.maribe.eu) project investigated the potential of combining the activities of different maritime sectors in either multi-use of space (MUS), or together on a multi-use platform (MUP) [2]. MUS is defined as any two technologies sharing the same location and infrastructure, whereas MUP also share a single platform facility installed at sea, allowing the production and exportation of the products collectively. MARIBE particularly identified new and emerging industries that could benefit greatly from the potential collaborations created, increasing their chances of economic survival and enabling future growth. These sectors are often referred to as Blue Growth industries and comprise Marine Renewable Energy, Aquaculture, Marine Biotechnology and Seabed Mining [3]. The work assessed potential combinations, and identified both the technical and non-technical challenges facing these MUS and MUP projects and technologies. As one of the major barriers to the development of these projects is the perception of risk due to both the use of new technologies and the combining of them, a rigorous risk assessment was required as part of this work. A risk assessment provides evidence-based information and analysis on how to approach risk. A risk is defined as the chance of a hazard occurring and an indication of how serious the consequences could be [4] [5]. Conducting a risk assessment allows all relevant parties to make informed decisions on the viability of each project. This is particularly important where two industries are working together, potentially with limited understanding and knowledge of each other’s technology. MARIBE investigated 9 case studies and their business case reports can be viewed at http://maribe.eu/blue-growth-reports/case-studies-with- 1 817- Proceedings of the 12th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference 27th Aug -1st Sept 2017, Cork, Ireland ISSN 2309-1983 Copyright © European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference 2017 2017