Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) and Seagreen offshore wind farms, together with SSE Renewables through the Berwick Bank offshore project are joining forces with Strix to carry out the first seabird interaction study of its kind in Scotland on a commercial sized wind farm.
The study has been devised in collaboration with RSPB, NatureScot, Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Marine Scotland Science and will be carried out at the NnG site.
Strix will carry out a two-year operational study with cameras and radars installed on nine of NnG’s 54 turbines.
The system provided by Strix will focus on gannets and kittiwakes, the species of seabirds identified as being most at risk of collision and displacement from offshore wind farms located in the Forth and Tay.
The study will monitor flight activity and provide further insight into how these seabirds behave around offshore wind turbines.
It will also improve understanding of the behaviours of other species such as lesser black-backed gulls and great black-backed gulls.
The 450MW NnG is jointly owned by EDF Renewables and ESB, while the 1.1GW Seagreen is a JV between TotalEnergies and SSE Renewables.
NnG project director Matthias Haag said: “As the developer of a major offshore development in Scotland, we are committed to doing everything we can to minimise and to monitor the impact our project may have on local wildlife and the seabirds who inhabit areas in close proximity to NnG.
“This world leading study, working with RSPB, NatureScot, Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Marine Scotland Science will be the first of its kind to ever be carried out in Scotland and I’m really pleased to be collaborating with SSE Renewables, TotalEnergies and Strix, delivering a project that will play an important role in the future of offshore wind in Scotland.”
Seagreen project director John Hill said: “We are delighted to get the opportunity to be involved in a study of this size and importance. Collaboration with key stakeholders and other developers is critical to delivering offshore wind sustainably and in the most appropriate locations.”
Berwick Bank project director Alex Meredith said: “We understand that through developing offshore wind we have an important part to play in addressing the nature emergency as well as the climate emergency.
“We are therefore very pleased to be involved with this landmark study.
“We are seeking to gain unprecedented insights into seabird activity across the Firths of Tay and Forth and to use the findings to inform our future projects both in Scotland and further afield.
“We recently completed the largest known digital aerial bird survey for a single project in the world and this additional work will compliment these studies greatly.”
Strix chief executive Miguel Repas said: “We are committed to support wind energy development while preserving wildlife in the Firths of Tay and Forth.
“This study combines key technologies, such as radar, with innovative data analysis to deliver critical understanding of seabird behaviour near turbines”