Hoping to grow coral reefs at the base of wind turbines

Danish energy firm Orsted plans to try growing corals on the foundations of offshore wind turbines to find out if the method can be carried out on a larger scale.

In hand with Taiwanese partners, the concept will be trialed in “the tropical waters of Taiwan.” This week’s news represents the latest step forward in the company’s ReCoral initiative, which it started working on back in 2018.

Last year, those involved with ReCoral were able to grow juvenile corals at a quayside site. These were grown on what Orsted said were “underwater steel and concrete substrates.”

The proof-of-concept trials in June 2022 will involve a bid to settle larvae and then grow corals at the Greater Changhua 1 Offshore Wind Farm, a major facility in waters 35 to 60 kilometers (22 to 37 miles) off Taiwan’s coast. The project will use areas measuring 1 meter squared on four foundations.

Read the article here: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/06/orsted-moves-forward-with-plans-to-grow-corals-on-wind-turbines.html