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World's first co-located commercial-scale seaweed farm and offshore windfarm announced
15 August 2024
This autumn, the world’s first commercial-scale seaweed farm co-located with an offshore windfarm will launch in the North Sea, about 18 kilometers off the coast of Scheveningen within the Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) wind farm.
The floating farm, led by the industry organisation North Sea Farmers with Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) leading the scientific study, will serve as a testing and improvement site for seaweed cultivation and will also explore the carbon capture potential of seaweed farms.The project, named North Sea Farm 1, is funded by Amazon Netherlands and was initially announced in 2023.
It is estimated that if the European seaweed industry scales up using the space occupied by wind farms - projected to be about 1 million hectares by 2040 - it could potentially reduce millions of tons of CO2 annually.
The 10-hectare seaweed farm, which is expected to produce at least 6,000 kg of fresh seaweed in its first year, is planned to be operational by the end of this year. The seaweed produced by the farm will be processed into innovative products for the European market.
The consortium aims for North Sea Farm 1 to serve as a replicable commercial model for co-located offshore seaweed cultivation worldwide.
Eef Brouwers, General Manager of North Sea Farmers, stated:
"We are particularly pleased with the approved permit for this project. HKZ is one of the newest wind farms in the North Sea and is relatively close to the coast. With a two-hour boat trip, we can show our stakeholders how a seaweed farm can be integrated into an offshore wind farm. We hope this project will further convince people of the scaling opportunities in the North Sea with seaweed and other forms of multi-use".
Prof. Ana Queirós, Marine and Climate Change Ecologist at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and scientific lead in this project, said:
“The integration of seaweed cultivation with offshore wind farms offers an opportunity to resolve space constrains for the seaweed sector in coastal areas, with additional potential for atmospheric CO2 uptake. Our aim is to understand how this sector could be used for long-term carbon sequestration, which is still poorly understood. As such, PML, with our scientific partners Deltares and Silvestrum Climate Associates, will be providing the vital scientific expertise needed to independently assess and monitor the outcomes of North Sea Farm 1 and we’re very proud to be involved in such a first-of-its-kind project”.
Amazon has committed €1.5 million to establish the seaweed farm and support a year-long scientific study on CO2 reduction through seaweed cultivation, led by PML. This investment is part of Amazon's global Right Now Climate Fund, which totals $100 million. The fund supports nature-based solutions and Amazon's efforts to become CO2-neutral. €20 million of this fund is earmarked for projects across Europe that aim to protect, restore, and enhance biodiversity and nature in areas where Amazon operates.
The consortium also includes researchers from Deltares and Silvestrum Climate Associates; seaweed extract manufacturer Algaia; project developer Simply Blue Group, and maritime contractors Van Oord and Doggerland Offshore.
Click here for more information about the North Sea Farm 1 project > >
Hollandse Kust Zuid
Hollandse Kust Zuid is an area in the North Sea stretching from Scheveningen to Zandvoort, accommodating up to 252 wind turbines with a minimum capacity of 6 MW each. Vattenfall and BASF, the wind farm’s owners, opted for larger turbines to reduce the number required. This enhances the wind farm’s efficiency, lowers costs, and minimizes environmental impact. In September 2023, King Willem-Alexander officially inaugurated the wind farm, which features 139 turbines, each with an 11 MW capacity. The wind farm’s annual electricity production is expected to match the consumption of 1.5 million households.
Related information
Images from the most recent site visit by the science team
