Co-location & opportunities in the North Sea
Co-location in the North Sea: Study by Suzannah Walmsley and Emma Wootton
©Beusbeus/iStock
The North Sea has proven to be an excellent environment for the development of offshore windfarms (OWFs), with its relatively shallow waters allowing for fixed-bottom wind turbines to be installed easily. Countries bordering the North Sea have already built numerous offshore wind farms to produce renewable energy and work towards reducing carbon emissions.
Many different stakeholders exist within marine spaces, from windfarm developers to those whose livelihoods depend on commercial fishing, and balancing their needs can be challenging. What if we were able to enable all ocean users to achieve their goals within the same designated areas?
Co-location (also as multi-use and co-use) is a promising new approach to offshore development, where two or more activities are actively being managed together whilst occupying the same areas. Theoretically, this could be the solution to enable continues offshore windfarm development without compromising the goals of other ocean users.
To identify the potential adaptations which would better enable co-location in UK waters, Suzannah Walmsley and Emma Wootton of MRAG and ABPmer respectively conducted a study, with results suggesting that adaptations to wind turbine array layout and orientation, introduction of clear corridors and improved cable mapping could be the answer for supporting the concept of co-location. In addition, monitoring for cable exposure, improving cable mapping, and modifying the cables to improve their compatibility with fishing practices are suggested to maximise chances of success.
Credit: Degraer, S et al (2020)
Consultation with key stakeholders suggested that 57% would be willing to modify fishing activities to help achieve co-location, but adaptations to fishing gear and practices is relatively limited in its feasibility.
In addition to identifying adaptations, the project also aimed to evaluate the real-world feasibility of implementing these adaptations. Project methodology involved undertaking a comprehensive literature review, engaging with key stakeholders through interviews and workshops, and subsequent analysis and synthesis of data related to OWF technologies, fishing methods, potential interactions, and adaptations.
Some of the key interactions between OWFs and fishing activities were identified as:
The entanglement of fishing gear with OWF infrastructure;
Collision of fishing vessels with OWF infrastructure and;
Restrictions of manoeuvrability of fishing vessels.
Conclusions and the future of Co-location
Meaningful engagements and cooperation between relevant sectors will inevitably increase the success of co-location, but the complex nature of these approaches mean that site-by-site considerations would be required. Broad suggestions for co-location approaches as a whole suggest that improving lighting and navigational aids, as well as making cables safer and fishing-friendly will be the most feasible adaptations to support co-location.
The Netherlands has demonstrated a commitment to the trialling of multi-use spaces within OWFs, where 90km2 have been allocated off the coast of Borsselle.
This trial saw an area passport for the site being developed, which set out which areas will support certain activities. Organisations that are interested in pursuing activities within the shared areas can apply for a permit for their activity type from Rijkewaterstaat, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
Rijkewaterstaat will decide if the proposed activity aligns with the activity areas set out by the area passport, as well as considering Safety, Liability and Environmental Impact when assessing whether projects will be granted permits for their activity type. For passive fishing, permit applications will be considered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. The knowledge gained from these multi-use spaces will be used to inform best practices for co-location and maximise productivity of our shared offshore areas.
Co-location of OWFs and CCUS
The idea of using Carbon-capture, usage and storage (CCUS) has long been considered to mitigate the accumulation of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. The opportunity for co-location of CCUS technology and OWF has been realised more recently especially by the Crown Estate, who see co-location as a way to maximise the clean energy return from the UK’s natural heritage. To enable discussion, the Crown Estate has developed Offshore Wind and CCUS Co-Location Forum, aimed at identifying the key challenges and opportunities for co-location of OWFs and carbon capture technology. It is hoped that the forum will inform best practices for efficient use of the seabed, encourage collaboration, and engage key stakeholders.
The forum focusses on several key areas, achieved through regular meetings and discussions. These are:
Spatial characterisation and planning: Mapping areas where high-potential offshore wind and CCUS projects could potentially overlap which will inform a combined approach to future seabed planning and marine spatial prioritisation.
Best practice for simultaneous operations: Studies modelling how co-location could affect operational access to sites (e.g., maintenance and research vessels), and best practices for co-ordinating activities to reduce impacts and encourage co-location.
Wider marine planning stakeholder engagement: Modelling the impact that additional traffic created by co-location has on other sea users and highlighting opportunities to address any impact.
Opportunities for sharing resources: Analysis of whether there is a need for an integrated approach for overlapping Offshore Wind and CCUS projects, which could provide a collaborative digital framework to facilitate overlap planning opportunities, development planning, with emphasis on the importance of collaboration.
It will be some time before we see co-location approaches becoming widespread throughout the Offshore Wind industry, but it is hoped that continued co-operation and collaboration will facilitate the adoption of these approaches moving forwards.
Exo Engineering hope to play a role in future co-location approaches, with our Nature Inclusive Solutions able to fulfil the functional role of scour and cable protection whilst building habitats for marine life into these spaces. In this way, we can help to unify multiple ocean users by supporting offshore wind farm development and commercial fishing simultaneously. If you wish to find out more about how we could help to support your co-location project, please get in touch.