A new collaboration between the offshore wind industry and the nature-inclusive seaweed sector could be a stepping stone towards making multi-use sea farms a reality.
Windfarm operator Ørsted and Stichting Noordzeeboerderij have signed a Letter of Intent in which both parties express their intention to combine ‘mooring solutions with nature development in multi-use systems.’
Stichting Noordzeeboerderij initiated the collaboration, and is currently working on a prototype of a nature-inclusive anchoring system; the Eco-anchor. This system will be designed for several multi-use activities within offshore wind farms. Ørsted underlines the need for exploring nature-inclusive multi-use concepts, considering the growth of wind farms at sea. The Letter of Intent marks a first step towards achieving this.
The Eco-anchor project, supported by the AFAS Foundation, is key in upscaling seaweed production in the Netherlands in a sustainable way. Seaweed production in the North Sea is currently on a pilot scale. The aim is to grow something approaching 500 square kilometres of nature-inclusive seaweed cultivation within wind farms by 2030.
This would effectively turn wind farms into multi-use areas. According to Stichting Noordzeeboerderij, it is essential for these types of farms to respect ecological boundaries so that it is a future-proof production activity. The Eco-anchor is a way of developing a safe mooring system with nature-strengthening features allowing it to be used for various combinations activities, such as nature-inclusive seaweed cultivation, mussel cultivation or even floating solar panels.
Ørsted is the first wind farm owner to express their support for this development. If the first tests with the prototype turn out to be a success, Ørsted is open to explore whether a combination of multi-use asset moorings and the Eco-anchor solution ‘could fit our strategy for nature–inclusive solutions in offshore wind farms’, according the letter of intent.
According to Stichting Noordzeeboerderij, Ørsted’s positive attitude towards the Eco-anchor project is an important milestone, underlining the interest for this new type of multi-use sea farming.
The Eco-anchor prototype will be ready for testing later this year. The prototype will be first tested at the offshore North Sea Innovation Lab, before heading out to an offshore wind farm.
