In the North Sea, a major wind farm project and environmental concerns
The ‘Princess Elisabeth’ energy island, currently under construction off the Belgian coast, is a pioneering project for the production of renewable energy. However, its impact on the ecosystem is still uncertain.
‘Once upon a time I used to have a beautiful place to live, swimming freely and following my internal magnetic compass. Now something is wrong. I feel a strange pull on my body: long, wide turbines anchored to the seabed below me, producing a low-frequency noise that makes me wander with no specific trajectory. I try to fight it, but it’s no use. Is it done yet? I can finally get away, as fast as I can. I will do everything I can to survive.’
This is just a made-up monologue of a haddock larva. The story, though, is real. The small, transparent fish of about 5 millimeters long when it first hatches is key to the marine ecosystem since it both serves as a food source for many predators and plays a role in the transfer of energy from the plankton to the fish community. According to research published by Alessandro Cresci, Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Institute of Marine Research, “Atlantic cod larvae in the North Sea are drawn to low-frequency noise produced by offshore wind farms.” One of the ecological implications of his study is clear: “The larvae’s swimming speeds and orientation towards the sound source could impact their dispersal trajectory, potentially modifying their spatial distribution, especially in areas near large-scale offshore wind facilities.”
Ambitious targets
The European Union’s ambitious renewable energy targets are outlined in the amended Renewable Energy Directive EU/2023/2413 for at least 42.5% binding at the EU level, but aiming for 45% of final energy consumption to come from renewable sources by 2030. This translates into concrete goals for the upcoming decade’s production increase in the green technology sector, specifically focusing on areas like electric vehicles, zero-emission inland waterway transport, and large-scale offshore wind farms. These latter – windmills planted in the ocean that use wind power to generate electricity – will soon occupy thousands of square kilometers of coastal and continental shelf areas.
On the overseas shores, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), its capacity is projected to reach a total of 11 terawatts (TW) by 2030, deploying an additional 7.2 TW of green power to achieve the target and potentially achieving a fully decarbonized energy system by 2050. In this context, the G20 countries’ role – noted in the COP28 targets – is crucial, needing to increase their green energy generation from less that 3 TW in 2022 to 9.4 TW by the end of decade to combat climate change and, thus, limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“Energy island”
In Europe, it’s the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), established amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the one which has made the biggest step in the sector of energy transition so far: the Federal Government of Belgium has been financed the development of an offshore energy hub in the Belgian part of the North Sea to allow for the connection of at least 3.5 GW of future offshore wind energy to the onshore electricity grid. The EU Commission believes this ‘energy island’, called Princess Elisabeth Island, will represent the world-first international power hub to centralize all the electricity produced by wind farms in the area, help the EU reach its target of 300 GW of shore wind capacity by 2050, and be the landing zone for two hybrid interconnectors with the UK and Denmark.
In December 2022 the government signed an agreement with Elia Transmission Belgium with the aim to let the company use the €99.7 million funding to build the foundations of the energy island. The key objectives stated during the signing of the protocol? 99% target contribution to a greener transition, and 40% to a digital one. A few months earlier, in October, the Front-end engineering design (FEED) and environmental studies for the “Offshore Energy Island” measure were finalized, and in mid-2023 the permits were obtained by the constructing consortium TM EDISON that won the tender to build the structure. The completion of the works – comprising five hectares of useful surface area and the deployment of connection cables between the North Sea coast and the facility – is expected to be achieved by April 2026.
Impact on ecosystems
If on one side, the expansion of offshore wind farms contributes to the global transition towards cleaner energy sources, on the other, there could be implications for marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Therefore, their global footprint is significant. Research in the literature mentions that offshore wind farms can lead to biodiversity loss, disturbances to marine mammals and birds, alterations in species composition, and changes in habitat structure. However, in the 2021 Federal Planning Bureau’s report – analyzing how the plan affects the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), resilience, and social cohesion – it is stated that “the majority of impacts on SDG14 Life Below Water are positive and stem from improving terrestrial aquatic ecosystems or reducing pollution in general.” According to the head of the European Commission’s Representation in Belgium Stefaan de Rynck, “the EU Commission is aware of this research on biodiversity” but highlights the legal requirement of “national authorities” for thorough environmental assessments and adherence to environmental protection principles before construction can proceed. Reached out by email, de Rynck says that “the compliance with ‘do not significantly harm’ criterion”, in this sense, means that “it cannot support or carry out economic activities that do significant harm to any environmental objective.”
Speaking of ‘economic harm’, though, the argument is reversed: with limited space available in the North Sea due to existing activities, “the energy island further restricts fishing grounds, especially for those using towed gear,” says Rederscentrale, the recognized Belgian producer organization and professional association for shipowners in sea fishing. They are sounding the alarm about the fact that this project will not only reduce catches “but also increase costs due to longer travel times” for fishermen. While the entire Princess Elisabeth Zone is designated as a no-fishing area, the association is actively advocating for mitigation strategies with the project developers to address these concerns, mainly with a key intent: “To find solutions that lessen the financial burden on their members and that minimize harm to the fishing industry.” This cooperative approach, participating in consultations in discussions on Marine Spatial Planning with the government, hopes to ensure that “future developments consider the needs of the Belgian fishing industry.”
Given these challenges and considering those related to fishing activities too (particularly demersal fisheries and pelagic fisheries with towed gear), is the island truly environmentally friendly and sustainable? According to the EU Commission, it is. “The island is designed with an eye to sustainability and respect for the marine environment,” they say in a written response. To minimize environmental impact, the energy hub is implementing “seven practical measures”, that include “ledges on the island for vulnerable birds to nest and, underwater, features to create a thriving artificial reef for marine life.” When it comes to the environmental impact assessment, though, the Commission is not the first in line to play a role, and national authorities must make sure EU rules (in this sense, Environmental Impact Assessment – EIA and Habitats Directive) are respected. Princess Elizabeth is environmentally friendly and sustainable for the government as well. Met at the Princess Elisabeth Island shipyard in Ritthem, the Netherlands, the demissionary Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo said “The energy island flagship project for the Recovery Plan and embodies three of its defining features: investment in infrastructure, deployment of innovative solutions and acceleration of the ecological transition.”
Uncertain damage
Finally, for Elia, the situation doesn’t change either. “The island itself will only have a limited impact,” they say. The cumulative disrupt of the energy hub is discussed in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR), prepared by a marine consultant on the instruction of Elia and where are highlighted “changes in local morphology and bathymetry due to the construction of the island, temporary disturbance of seabed integrity in pre-dredging zones, and a moderate negative impact on turbidity due to dredging activities along all alternative routes.”
A following environmental permit was later issued by the Belgian Minister responsible for the marine environment. According to Elia, the entire Princess Elisabeth Zone was designated in the Marine Spatial Plan, also assessed in a strategic environmental impact assessment which states that – despite potential effects of offshore wind turbine pile-driving on porpoises and other marine mammals – “the construction of the hub was subject to an approved risk analysis and it obtained necessary permits and environmental authorizations per the law.” “If the environmental impact on other spatial uses is found to outweigh the benefits, the zone will be restored to its original state.”
This last sentence triggers three criticalities about ecosystem-level effects: biodiversity loss, disturbances to marine mammals and birds, and changes in habitat structure. Reached out over the phone, he reiterates the findings of his latest research: impacts vary across species, and also bottom-dwelling creatures like lobsters and crabs and other commercially and ecologically important fish species “might be sensitive to vibrations caused by turbines.” “As wind farms expand with larger turbines, the noise issue is likely to worsen,” he says, even though it’s important to highlight that “research is still underway.” Steven Degraer, a marine researcher at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences/MARECO and coordinator of the WinMon.BE consortium, also underscores the importance of “detecting and understanding potential cumulative ecological impacts of the growing number of offshore wind farms in the southern North Sea.” Despite Elia stating that the island doesn’t require piling of large diameter poles (and therefore, no impulsive noise will be produced), in one of his papers Degraer says that “the presence of wind turbine foundations can impact macrobenthic communities in the vicinity of offshore wind farms.”
To shape this Nature Inclusive Design (NID), input from a range of experts in nature conservation and the marine environment was sought. In this sense, it’s the 4Sea Initiative that looks for the same solution and tackles environmental challenges associated with the construction of the energy hub. The key aims of the project are to “support marine fauna protection”, by supporting structures that minimize harm to birds, fish, mammals, and bats throughout the entire lifecycle of the energy island, “minimize noise pollution, electromagnetic radiation, and, most importantly, propose ‘nature-inclusive designs’ for wind farms.”
Those are the words of Sarah Tilkin, North Sea, coastal, fisheries, and marine environment policy officer at Natuurpunt, and Sarah Vanden Eede, Oceans & fisheries policy officer at WWF-Belgium. “We believe this kind of design is possible by considering how the wind farm can be built with minimal disruption to existing habitats and even potentially enhance biodiversity in the area,” the two NGO representatives say. When redesigning existing wind farms, they also advocate for considering how to conserve and maintain any restored habitats or natural values created by the initial construction through collaboration between various stakeholders “to find solutions that balance renewable energy production with environmental protection, biodiversity goals, and European directives.” Only then can this ambitious project truly claim the title of a ‘sustainable gamble,’ and the haddock larva can survive the fourth industrial energy revolution.
This article was produced as part of The Newsroom 27 competition, organised by Slate.fr with the financial support of the European Union. The article reflects the views of the author and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for its content or use.
