© Smartland
North Sea Farmers - the organisation behind the development of North Sea Farm 1 – have confirmed that the first phase of installation for the seaweed cultivation site was recently completed successfully.
North Sea Farm 1, located within the Hollandse Kust Zuid windfarm about 18 km off the coast of Holland, is the first project to attempt to cultivate seaweed within a wind farm site. By using the ample open marine space between the wind turbines of the farm, the project seeks to overcome a significant challenge to North Sea seaweed farming – space.
The recent milestone achievement in the development of the farm involved the installation of two 13 m long anchors, the top 2 m of which were covered with a substrate to encourage environmental restoration at the anchor site. Following this success, the second phase - which involves the seeding and deployment of the farm proper - is expected to begin during October 2024.
The innovative seaweed farm is intended to be the catalyst for scaling up the seaweed sector, providing a replicable model for seaweed cultivation. When complete, the farm will span 5-hectares, and is expected to produce at least 6,000 kg of fresh seaweed in its first year. In addition to its future role as a model farm, the project will also serve as a site for the experimentation and development of cultivation methods for farmed seaweeds.
