"We hope that this project will convince people of the scaling opportunities of seaweed in the North Sea, as well as other forms of co-use such as solar, wave energy, and nature restoration," said Eef Brouwers, General Manager of North Sea Farmers.
Photo: Deltares.
This autumn, the world's first commercial-scale seaweed farm, North Sea Farm 1, is set to begin operations within the Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) wind farm, located approximately 18 kilometers off the coast of Scheveningen, Netherlands, in the North Sea.
Developed by North Sea Farmers (NSF) with funding from Amazon's Right Now Climate Fund, this innovative floating farm will be situated in the previously unused space between the wind turbines, marking a significant milestone in the integration of renewable energy and sustainable aquaculture.
The location of the farm was announced by NSF earlier in the summer, and project partner Deltares has now confirmed that the first phase, installing the facility's "eco-anchors", was completed in early August.
The second phase, seaweed seeding and installation, will begin in mid-October, and the facility is expected to become operational by the end of this year.
The project aims to produce 1 million tons of fresh seaweed annually by 2040, potentially contributing to the capture and avoidance of millions of tons of CO2.
Led by NSF and supported by a consortium of scientific researchers and industry partners, the farm will cover 5 hectares and is expected to produce at least 6,000 kg of fresh seaweed in its first year. This seaweed will be processed into various applications for the European market, demonstrating the commercial viability of offshore seaweed farming.
"We are particularly pleased to receive the world’s first permit for a seaweed farm within a wind farm," said Eef Brouwers, General Manager of North Sea Farmers in a press announcement.
"We hope that this project will convince people of the scaling opportunities of seaweed in the North Sea, as well as other forms of co-use such as solar, wave energy, and nature restoration."
North Sea Farm 1 is designed not only to cultivate seaweed but also to serve as a testing ground for improving seaweed farming techniques. The site will facilitate scientific research into the potential of seaweed farms to capture carbon dioxide, with the long-term goal of scaling up production across the North Sea.
"Deltares uses models to study the distribution of seaweed from the cultivation site, to see where seaweed particles end up and whether this offers prospects for carbon sequestration. Monitoring by Plymouth Marine Laboratory provides data that contributes to the validation and improvement of these models," said Frank Kleissen, researcher at Deltares, in a news announcement.
"In addition, Deltares is using other models to investigate the impact of seaweed farming on the marine environment, and how far you can scale up before there will be any real negative effects on the sea. This also provides opportunities to apply the tools for scaling up or site selection," Kleissen added.
Hollandse Kust Zuid, one of the newest wind farms in the North Sea, consists of 139 turbines and generates enough electricity to power 1.5 million Dutch households. The wind farm is jointly owned by Vattenfall, BASF, and Allianz, and was officially inaugurated by King Willem-Alexander in September 2023.
Amazon has committed €1.5 million to the establishment of North Sea Farm 1 and a year-long scientific study on CO2 reduction through seaweed cultivation. This investment is part of Amazon's $100 million Right Now Climate Fund, which supports nature-based solutions to combat climate change.
North Sea Farmers, a non-profit organization representing the European seaweed industry since 2014, is leading the project. The consortium also includes researchers from Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Deltares, and Silvestrum Climate Associates, as well as industry partners like Algaia, Simply Blue Group, and maritime contractors Van Oord and Doggerland Offshore.
