Sixteen shortlisted candidates for a EUR 3 million scientific research programme to understand the environmental impacts of offshore wind at Vattenfall’s European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) in Aberdeen, Scotland, have submitted their final bids.
The shortlisted projects span topics from analysis of distribution and movement of different bird, mammal and fish species, to looking at the effect of offshore wind on the environment and societies, as well as studies focused on geology.
The sixteen projects have been shortlisted from a list of almost 100 original applications by a specialist scientific panel assembled to advise on the allocation of the funding to study the environment around the 11-turbine scheme.
The panel is comprised of representatives from Vattenfall, Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group, Marine Scotland Science, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, RSPB Scotland, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, and The Crown Estate.
It is expected that by the end of the year the scientific panel will advise on the successful projects. The European Union is providing up to half of the funding for the programme, which is believed to be the first of its kind.