As well-respected specialists in the field of marine mammal monitoring and mitigation measures, Seiche Ltd was engaged by Ørsted earlier this year to minimise the impact on marine mammals during construction of its Hornsea Two wind farm, located 89km off the UK’s North East coast. This was a key requirement of the wind farm’s marine licence conditions.

Marine Mammal Observers worked from the installation vessel to ensure that marine mammals were protected during the installation of the Offshore Substation (OSS), Reactive Compensation Station (RCS) (September to October 2020) and the Wind Turbine Generators (WTG’s) (October 2020 – October 2021). To achieve this, Seiche provided an Acoustic Deterrent Device (ADD) and marine mammal observers / ADD operators. Extensive reporting was carried out throughout the project.

Project Manager at Seiche, Jennifer Shearing comments:  “It was exciting working with Ørsted on such an important and well-organised project. Ørsted’s enthusiasm towards protecting the marine environment was a pleasure to see. The project was such a success, it finished ahead of time, and Seiche is thankful to the fantastic marine mammal mitigation team we had in the field. Their commitment and hard work ensured the project ran smoothly. Communications with DEME, the installation contractor, were excellent, resulting in efficient, well organised crew changes.”

Jennifer Brack, Consent Manager for Ørsted’s Hornsea Two Offshore Wind Farm said: “As experts in their field, Seiche were a pleasure to work with. Their work was well-organised, well-communicated, and fulfilled all our requirements in terms of protecting mammals in the marine environment while construction took place”. 

About Hornsea Two:

Located approximately 89 km off the Yorkshire coast, Hornsea Two is the world’s largest offshore wind farm and will generate up to 1.4GW of clean energy for UK households when fully operational in 2022.  

Image: © Steven Atkinson, Lead Marine Mammal Consultant, 2021