Operations have begun at the Éoliennes Flottantes du Golfe du Lion experimental wind farm in France, a project designed to test the feasibility of a dual-purpose facility serving as both a power plant and an oyster farm. Located in the Mediterranean Sea, 16 kilometers off the coast, the facility reached full capacity on July 10. It is the first floating wind farm designed to provide a habitat for marine organisms, according to TechInsider.
The site was chosen based on two factors: high wind speeds (around 10 m/s) and challenging weather conditions, which allow for testing the structure’s stability. The facility is situated within the Gulf of Lion Marine Natural Park.
Unlike most offshore wind farms, which are fixed to the seabed, this facility is a floating installation. Three turbines are mounted on semi-submersible platforms anchored in place. One of the platforms is equipped with 32 cages for oyster farming, while the upper sections of the cages are designed to shelter juvenile fish from predators.
The project is unique; while such “nurseries” are typically located near ports, they have never before been installed on floating wind turbine foundations. Self-propelled farm vessels are currently being developed in China, but they are not integrated with renewable energy systems.
Denmark has an offshore power plant where mussels and seaweed are cultivated, but it was not originally designed for that purpose. The project has been in development for several years, and five-year trials using small buoys demonstrated that the marine environment is suitable for mollusks and fish. Divers from the University of Perpignan monitored marine life and found salema, sea bream, and sea bass around the structures. Over the next five years, the ecosystem formed by the turbines will be studied to develop methods for using wind generators to expand the local biosystem.
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