Ventyr begins environmental monitoring for Norway’s first offshore wind farm, Sørlige Nordsjø II
Ventyr has successfully begun the deployment of two specialized monitoring
buoys to gather critical environmental, wind and metocean data. This marks a significant milestone for the project, which will bring renewable offshore wind energy to the country.
The buoys, provided by French data as a service company, Akrocean, and Irish company TechWorks Marine, will measure wind profile, wave dynamics, weather, subsea measurements (conductivity, depth and current profile), and the presence of birds, bats, marine mammals, and fish in the area.
Akrocean and TechWorks Marine are collaborating with local Norwegian company WINDPORT for all local and maritime support, and the French environmental expert Biotope responsible for the analysis of the environmental data.
In addition, Norwegian tech company SPOOR (spoor.ai) has equipped the buoy with cutting-edge, AI-powered cameras designed to monitor and identify bird species and behaviors, gathering extensive data on year-round bird activity to bolster environmental conservation efforts.
The combination of this innovative technology and buoy deployment reflects the latest in monitoring techniques, representing a major step forward in wildlife observation and ecological preservation.
Anne Knausgård, Country Manager for Norway at Parkwind comments: “The deployment of these specialized monitoring buoys marks the first steps being taken on-site for the development of Sørlige Nordsjø II. This critical phase lays the foundation for the project’s environmental and wildlife assessments, ensuring that the offshore wind farm is developed with careful consideration for the surrounding ecosystem. The data gathered will be instrumental in guiding future construction and operational decisions, aligning sustainable energy production with robust environmental stewardship.“
Assembly of both oceanographic buoys has been successfully completed early October in Mandal Port. The Ventyr project team, assisted by the local company, WINDPORT, as well as AKROCEAN’s partners, GEPS TECHNO, VALEMO and SPOOR worked tirelessly to complete the final harbor tests before deployment.
The deployment is scheduled to take place as soon as the weather conditions allow the buoys to be delivered to the final offshore site by a local vessel and the assistance of Kristiansand Port authority.
Over the next year, they will provide valuable data contributing to the development of this pioneering offshore wind project.
