The UK’s National Oceanography Centre Delivers Roadmap for Offshore Wind Observation Program

The UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has presented a roadmap aimed at guiding the observation of the ocean to enhance the understanding of potential impacts from expanding offshore wind developments on the marine environment.

The report, titled “Scoping an Offshore Wind Sustained Observation Programme,” was commissioned by the Scottish Government’s Scottish Marine Energy Research (ScotMER) program. It serves as a crucial tool to inform the planning of significant offshore wind farm expansion within the North Sea region, with a focus on the Scottish sector.

This initiative comes at a critical juncture, especially in the context of increasing floating offshore wind projects, aligning with the Scottish Government’s strategy to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.

Utilizing NOC’s expertise in environmental monitoring and marine observation, the report evaluates the current understanding of key environmental aspects of the North Sea, specifically emphasizing water column structure and seasonal variability.

The document underscores the existing knowledge gaps regarding potential impacts associated with offshore wind developments and proposes essential ocean variables (EOVs) to serve as a baseline for monitoring activities, ensuring the protection of the marine ecosystem.

NOC emphasizes the importance of acquiring observational parameters, such as water column stability and stratification, through various monitoring platforms, including remote systems.

Furthermore, the report stresses the significance of computer model simulations as a primary tool for predicting the cumulative impacts of future infrastructures. NOC suggests building and validating models using both existing data and new information gathered during observational campaigns near operational wind farms.

Michela De Dominicis, a senior scientist specializing in ocean modeling at NOC, highlighted the complexity introduced by offshore wind expansion into deeper waters, compounded by the effects of climate change. De Dominicis emphasized the need for further research to understand the potential impacts on marine environments.

The Scottish Government has set ambitious targets to add at least 20 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable electricity capacity by 2030, aiming to meet approximately 50% of Scotland’s current total energy demand through renewable sources.

Currently, around 3 GW of offshore wind capacity is operational in Scottish waters. The ScotWind leasing round targets an additional 28 GW across 20 projects, with an extra 5 GW earmarked in the Innovation and Targeted Oil & Gas (INTOG) round.