Ørsted has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Dutch non-profit organization Stichting Noordzeeboerderij to together work on combining offshore wind and nature-inclusive seaweed farms.
The collaboration will see the parties working on combining mooring solutions with nature development in multi-use systems to realize multi-use sea farms.
Stichting Noordzeeboerderij initiated the cooperation as it is currently working on a prototype of a nature-inclusive anchoring system called the Eco-anchor, which will be designed for several multi-use activities within offshore wind farms.
According to the Dutch organization, currently, seaweed production in the North Sea occurs on a pilot scale, while the aim is to grow towards 500km2 of nature-inclusive seaweed cultivation within wind farms by 2030.
In this way, wind farms are expected to effectively become multi-use sea farms.
The Eco-anchor prototype will be ready for testing later this year at the offshore North Sea Innovation Lab, after which it will head out to an offshore wind farm.
Stichting Noordzeeboerderij emphasized that Ørsted is the first wind farm owner to express support for this development.
If the first tests turn out to be a success, Ørsted is open to exploring whether a combination of multi-use asset moorings and the Eco-anchor solution could fit its strategy for nature–inclusive solutions in offshore wind farms, the organization concluded.