The developers of the Salamander floating offshore wind farm have deployed equipment to monitor the project’s impact on the marine environment.
The sensors – which include a fluorometer and echosounder – are gathering data on fish presence to understand how floating wind farms affect their behaviour
Orsted, Simply Blue Group and Subsea7 partnered with the University of the Highlands and Islands’ (UHI) Environmental Research Institute and the University of Aberdeen as part of the PREDICT 2.0 initiative.
The monitoring programme was part of the project’s original bid in the Innovation and Targeted Oil & Gas (INTOG) round. When the programme is complete, the equipment will be fully removed.
Innovation Manager for the Salamander project Tom Brown said: “This multi-year initiative aims to help us develop a deeper understanding of fish migration patterns and how these can be better monitored. The goal is to improve siting of offshore wind farms to minimise any impact on fish and their predators.
“We already know that the demand for offshore renewable infrastructure is increasing exponentially and by ensuring we can appropriately research new project locations, we can more sustainably build a path to a better energy future while protecting the environment.”
The move comes as more offshore wind developers are looking to accommodate marine life when designing and installing their projects.
Moray West, an 882MW fixed bottom project being developed by Ocean Winds, has taken several measures to minimise its effect on the marine ecosystem.
This includes using vibrohammers to install its monopile foundations, a quieter option compared to traditional impact hammers.
It also used low order deflagration to dispose of unexploded ordnance. High order deflagration detonates the munitions, creating noise, while the low order method ignites the chemicals inside, using them without causing an explosion.
Research has touted the importance of initiatives like this, saying it could speed up the permitting process for projects.
A recent report from the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council said that features such as fish hotels, mattresses for cable protection and water replenishment holes all help encourage marine life around projects.
Associate professor of energy at UHI Dr Benjamin Williamson said: “Marine sensing is vital to understand the environment around floating offshore wind farms. Robust information and evidence are needed to inform where offshore wind developments should be located to better protect marine ecosystems.
“This exciting research will help to understand the drivers of variation in fish movement and the potential for environmental interactions with offshore wind.”
The 100MW Salamander floating wind farm will be based 35km off the coast of Peterhead.
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