Twenty-four months of site-specific bird and marine mammal surveys completed at Ossian floating wind farm site
Ossian Offshore Wind Farm Limited (OWFL) has reached a key project milestone with the completion of 24-months of digital aerial surveys.
HiDef Aerial Surveying Ltd carried out the surveys from March 2021 to February 2023, across the Ossian array area which is located approximately 80 km southeast of the Aberdeenshire coast.
The monthly surveys included an 8km buffer area and took place using four planes along transects at 2.5km spacing. The survey consisted of 330 hours of flight time across 4,050 square km, larger than Angus and Fife combined.
Each aircraft is equipped with high-definition camera equipment that captures live footage which is then assessed by ornithology and marine mammal experts. So far, the team have analysed over 16 million images following the survey.
Data collected will be vital for understanding the distribution and habits of key ornithology and marine mammal species across the proposed floating wind farm’s array area and surrounding area.
Martin Scott, Managing Director for HiDef said:
“Aerial surveys are a logistical challenge, but very rewarding. The team recorded a variety of seabirds, dolphins and a few minke whales, which are always a thrill to locate.”
Holly Cartwright, Development Lead for Ossian said:
“The data collected by the HiDef team is integral for understanding the distribution and habits of key ornithology and marine mammal species in and around Ossian’s proposed development area.
“It will be used in compiling our final Environmental Impact Assessment report and inform how we can enter construction with the utmost attention and consideration of the important biodiversity which will continue to co-exist with Ossian.”
Last year, the Ossian project completed a full geophysical and benthic survey of the project area. The data collected informed a review of the potential wind farm capacity. Subject to undertaking the necessary further environmental and technical assessments, the site could be used to generate the increased capacity of up to 3.6GW.
About Ossian Wind Farm Limited
The SSE Renewables-Marubeni-CIP consortium has unrivalled local and global experience as well as unparalleled technical and environmental expertise, making it uniquely placed to deliver new offshore wind in Scottish waters.
SSE Renewables already has an impressive track record in Scotland, including the country’s largest offshore wind portfolio and is building more offshore wind energy in the world right now than any other company. It includes the 1.1GW Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm, approx. 27km from the coast of Angus in the North Sea, which will be Scotland’s largest, and the world’s deepest, fixed-bottom offshore wind farm when complete in 2023.
Marubeni owns stakes in power projects across 21 countries (including Japan) for a total net capacity of about 12GW. For Ossian, Marubeni brings a wealth of sector experience of delivering floating offshore wind, including leading floating offshore wind demonstration projects in Japan with five different floating foundations.
CIP is the world’s largest dedicated fund manager within greenfield renewable energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind. CIP has an international footprint with vast experience of delivering offshore wind across continents. In the UK, CIP’s exclusive development advisor, Copenhagen Offshore Partners, is developing the 100MW Pentland Floating Offshore Windfarm.
These capabilities and commitments, coupled with a combined worldwide development portfolio of more than 27GW, demonstrate the SSE Renewables-Marubeni-CIP partnership’s extensive and successful track record of delivery in offshore wind, both locally and globally.