A recent report by WindEurope addresses the coexistence of offshore wind energy and biodiversity, including maritime spatial planning to promote cross-sectoral cooperation and multifunctional use of the marine space. It focuses on the contribution of the offshore wind sector to nature conservation and restoration, and the opportunities to enhance biodiversity. Read the summary, conclusions and additional studies here. (Photo: The Rich North Sea @Bas van de Sande)
Summary
The WindEurope report 'Offshore Wind and Biodiveristy' argues that maritime spatial planning can enhance cross-sectoral cooperation and the multiple use of maritime space. Key insights include:
- The offshore wind sector is committed to protecting the environment.
- Wind energy can contribute to and complement nature conservation and restoration objectives.
- Offshore wind offers opportunities to restore ecosystems and enhance positive effects on biodiversity.
Conclusions:
- Scientific research can support regulators in addressing knowledge gaps in offshore wind permitting processes. Robust evidence of environmental impacts resulting from monitoring or research programmes enables regulators to apply the precautionary principle and propose measures tailored to site-specific circumstances.
- Positive impacts and synergies between wind farm development and national conservation strategies should be promoted and integrated into offshore wind auctions through non-price criteria. Ecological criteria reward companies for the investments they have already made and want to make in biodiversity protection. And they stimulate innovation in biodiversity protection. They show that renewable energy sources and biodiversity protection go hand in hand.
- Coexistence with nature should be done in line with environmental principles and after a sound cumulative impact assessment. The industry is ready to deploy these solutions at commercial scale and some large wind farm developers have already committed to deploying net positive biodiversity wind farms by 2030. National plans should set out the options available, based on stakeholder dialogue and socio-economic aspects.
- Governments should facilitate and encourage dialogue between sectors with the aim of encouraging synergies between different sectors. Greater cooperation will result in a better understanding of which solutions apply in different countries.
Offshore wind next to biodiversity
Offshore wind farms can have both positive and negative effects on the environment. Their negative effects must be carefully avoided, limited or compensated during the permitting phase, up to and including construction, operation and decommissioning.
But offshore wind farms can also offer multiple opportunities to protect and restore ecosystems and increase biodiversity and they can become recovery areas. To achieve healthy coexistence, more evidence and collaboration is needed, and it all starts with early planning.
The European Commission's Guidance Document 'Wind energy developments and EU Nature Legislation' provides guidance on the interpretation of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives. It provides practical examples of how project approvals can be facilitated - without compromising nature conservation needs - through, among other things, strategic planning, the use of robust environmental data and appropriate mitigation measures. According to EU nature legislation, wind energy can even be developed in marine protected areas, provided that an appropriate assessment is carried out in accordance with European and national legislation and there are no significant effects on local ecosystems.
Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP)
Maritime Spatial Planning is crucial to promote the development of offshore wind energy and to enhance cross-sectoral cooperation with nature, aquaculture, fisheries, energy, military, tourism and transport – thus minimising spatial conflicts. In addition, governments can allow various activities to be carried out alongside wind farms, including nature conservation and restoration.
In 2022, EU Member States submitted their first round of maritime spatial plans, as required by the MSP Directive (2014/89/EU). In total, these plans allocated more than 220 GW of offshore wind capacity to 16 Member States , enough to to achieve Europe's current offshore wind energy ambitions for 2030.
However, multiple use of offshore wind farms is still not explicitly mentioned in most MSPs, with the exception of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. All Member States will revise their MSPs before 2030.
Environmental protection
The MSP Directive has already worked well to reduce the risks of projects and ensure that environmental impacts are considered at the early planning stage of projects. In fact, the Directive requires all plans to undergo a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), a macro-environmental, economic and social assessment of all activities at sea. The SEA supports regulators by providing a preliminary indication of possible impacts and mitigation approaches.
Each wind farm must then undergo a site-specific Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), outlining potential negative impacts and how they can be avoided, mitigated or compensated. The population-based approach to species protection, as required by EU law, is crucial to finding the best mitigation and compensation measures for large offshore wind projects.
For example, research on birds, fish communities, dolphins and porpoises. This experience enables the industry to develop advanced models for assessing population effects of potential disturbances with respect to biodiversity.
(Also read: 'Community of Practice Multi Use North Sea 2030' - North Sea Portal)
Technology
Wind project developers are also taking additional measures to protect biodiversity during wind farm operations, where necessary. They are using technology to detect and deter birds and bats; and in some cases even stopping the turbines from turning at certain times to avoid collisions.
During this phase, environmental impacts must be carefully monitored, as stipulated in the EIA Directive. This enables operators to manage potential negative impacts and ensure compliance with environmental permits. For example, Ørsted and DHI developed a detailed ‘Bat and Bird monitoring guidance’ (2023) that has various geographical applications. Monitoring can also be centralised, with a government agency carrying out this task for all wind farms. This is the case with the Belgian Offshore Wind Monitoring Programme, WinMon.be.
Also during the construction of offshore wind farms, developers can use various technologies, such as bubble curtains, to reduce noise emissions from pile driving, thereby limiting disturbances to marine life. Innovative alternatives, known as Gentle Pile Drive, are being developed to further reduce noise levels.
Any disturbance during construction is temporary and fish often return to wind farms in larger numbers because the wind farms act as an artificial reef. This has been demonstrated by long-term monitoring programs, for example in Denmark and Belgium .
Improving biodiversity
Once built, each wind turbine can support up to 4 tons of shellfish that attract other marine life. This leads to a healthy marine ecosystem that may not have been as abundant or productive when it was first built. As a result, larger marine mammals, including seals and porpoises, can thrive in offshore wind farms.
A Dutch study found more harbour porpoise activity in the operational wind farm area than in reference areas outside the wind farm, most likely related to greater food availability, exclusion of fishing and reduced ship traffic.
There are currently several measures that can enhance these positive effects and help the seabed and local ecosystems recover even faster. When combined with all the necessary avoidance, mitigation and compensation measures, wind farms can have net positive effects on biodiversity. For example, the sector is involved in the eco-design of scour protection systems and other offshore infrastructure (e.g. cables) that support benthic and reef ecosystems.
These Nature Inclusive Designs (NID) act as a catalyst for biodiversity. But positive effects can go beyond the level of the wind turbine, for example when natural reef structures are placed between turbines. When these options are implemented with the aim of protecting, sustainably managing and restoring nature, they are called Nature Based Solutions (NbS).
Nature Bases Solutions (NbS)
For example, oyster reef cultures actively improve the condition of the seabed, increase water quality through filtration and stimulate local ecosystem services, including food production. These solutions are being tested in the Dutch North Sea, where flat oysters were once abundant, but are now very scarce due to overfishing. (See the study: 'Offshore Wind Farms as Potential Locations for Flat Oyster (Ostrea edulis) Restoration in the Dutch North Sea' by Wageningen University and Research. )
The Rich North Sea has several oyster-related projects underway, including at the offshore wind farms Eneco Luchterduinen , Gemini and Blauwwind . And commercial aquaculture applications of oyster reef regeneration are also promising. The UNITED project , with the support of Ghent University and other partners, has tested, among other things, the aquaculture of flat oysters. (Also read: 'Offshore wind farms to reintroduce oyster reefs in the North Sea.' )
The first commercial project , a collaboration between Amazon Right Now Climate Fund and North Sea Farmers in the Netherlands, invested €1.5 million to build a 10-hectare seaweed farm, expected to produce at least 6,000 kg of fresh seaweed in its first year (2024).
Promising solutions are also on the way for more complex (fish) species.
Sources:
- Bird research : 'Resolving Key Uncertainties of Seabird Flight and Avoidance Behaviors at Offshore Wind Farms' commissioned by Vattenfall
- Research fish communities : 'Long-term effects of an offshore wind farm in the North Sea on fish communities'
- Dolphin research : 'Improving understanding of bottlenose dolphin movements along the east coast of Scotland' commissioned by Vattenfall
- Porpoise research :
- Research into possible disturbances of biodiversity :
- Research into the impact of oyster reefs :
