Where has been the decades long experience and studies of offshore windfarms in whale migration corridors?

Under Construction

From The Conversation article in 2022 “For the first time, the global scale and extent of the routes whales traverse during their migrations were illuminated.”

It is surprising how recently this information on global whale migration superhighways has only been available?  The map of Whale Superhighways shown below was also drawn from The Conversation article in 2022.

It has been stated by some that large scale wind farms have been operating around the world in marine environments for decades that include whale migration zones.

The map of Whale Superhighways was also drawn from The Conversation article in 2022

So where are these offshore windfarms that are claimed to have been operating for decades, without adverse impacts on whales, that lie along the Whale Migration corridors in the area from Atlantic through the North Sea and in the Mediterranean in the Northern Hemisphere?

Another infographic on offshore windfarms in the North Sea, seen below and a dynamic version can be found at this link 

By September 2023 there seems to have only ever been only five offshore windfarms located in Northern Hemisphere Whale migration corridors – with one of these dismantled in 2021.

This leaves just four operating offshore windfarms in operation in 2023, which were installed in 2010, 2016 or 2020. So it would appear that there has not been decades-long experience of offshore windtowers operating in Whale Migration Corridors. One of these wind farms has only 15 turbines, another has 5 turbines, one has only 2 turbines, while the fourth has only 3 turbines.

As such, these four offshore windtowers in the Northern Hemisphere that were operating by 2023, are far more modest than the possibly 200 – 300 turbines that might be operating in the Illawarra projects, assuming they gain approval!

There have been none currently operating in the Southern Hemisphere Whale Migration Corridors.

None so far identified appear to have been operating for decades?

In detail –

• It is noteworthy that major players in offshore windfarms, viz Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, for instance, do not lie in the Northern Hemisphere Atlantic North Sea Whale Superhighways.
• Further in Norway, the  Moreld Offshore windpark does not lie in that Superhighway, as shown below.  The recently opened Hywind Tympen windpark lies 140 kilometres off the coast of Norway and uses only 11 turbines, and also seems to be located outside that Superhighway. It is providing power to the Gullfaks and Snorre offshore oil and gas fields
• Earlier in 2023 the Sørlige Nordsjø II area and  the Utsira Nord area were announced in Norway as future offshore windpark areas – these also seem to lie outside that superhighway areas.
• Most of the existing offshore windfarms in Scotland are on the east coast, with the exception of Robin Rigg, which is in the Solway Firth on the southwest coast, and not in a Whale Migration Superhighway. However concerns have been expressed about future offshore wind projects off the Western Isles, North West of Scotland, eg Splorad na Mara.   Talisk and Havbredey offshore windfarm projects are also proposed
• In 2021 Iceland entered into an offshore windfarm project the HIP Atlantic aka Kari Energy, to supply power to the UK but not Iceland itself. It comprises four pods, or separate farms, with a total of 1000 turbines. It was anticipated to be in operation in 2025, however since then it still seemed to be planned by 2023, so it is uncertain how this project has progressed.
• On the Atlantic along the US east coast the Cape Wind project commenced construction in 2013, however it did not progress to operations;
• Block Island also on Atlantic along the US east coast and in a Northern Hemisphere whale migration corridor, with its 5 turbines,  did commence operations in 2016; and in 2017 during a major winter storm in March 2017, these turbines functioned as designed, automatically cutting out when the wind speed reached 55 mph (90km/hour);
• The Coastal Virginia Offshore US wind project commenced construction in 2020, and in a Northern Hemisphere whale migration corridor, in an ocean depth of 80 feet (24 metres), with 2 turbines as part of its demonstration project that are now operating, and final completion expected in 2026; it starts 27 (43 kms) miles off the Virginian coast
• By September 2023, there are no offshore windfarms in Canada 
• While the west coast of Ireland lies along that Superhighway, the only operating offshore windfarm in Ireland, the small Arklow Windbank, is off the east coast of Ireland, outside that Superhighway.
• The western coast of Spain lies on that Superhighway, with its planned offshore wind projects in operation by 2030. Also the southern Mediterranean coast of Spain lies in the Mediterranean migration corridor, but no windfarms there as of mid 2023
• The first Spanish floating offshore wind turbine DemoSATH was installed two miles off the Basque coast in August 2023, and lies outside the Atlantic North Sea Whale Migration Corridor. It was installed by Spanish engineering firm Saitec Offshore Technologies, along with Germany’s RWE Offshore Wind and Japan’s Kansai Electric Power.
• As of mid 2023 France has one offshore windfarm off Saint Nazaire on the Atlantic Coast, however it lies outside that Mediterranean Whale Migration corridor
• Monaco does not seem to have any plans for offshore windfarms, however it has bought two onshore windfarms in France
• As of 2023 Italy has one offshore windfarm in the Gulf of Taranto, however it lies nearer to the Ionian Sea and is outside the Mediterrranean  Whale Migration corridor
• As of 2023 Malta, which lies in the Mediterranean area of a Northern Hemisphere Whale Migration Corridor, it has only has planned for offshore windpower
• Kamisu offshore windfarm in Japan was operational in 2010, with 7 turbines, then another 8 turbines added in 2013. The turbines stand only 60 metres high and are located 50 metres offshore – thus described as a nearshore windfarm.  Kamisu appears to be either in, or close to, a Northern Hemisphere migration corridor. Notably the 7 turbines in phase 1 of the wind farm survived the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
• A demonstration offshore wind project was established in Fukushima Japan in 2014, after the 2011 Tsunami, which was in a Northern Hemisphere Whale Migration Corridor however it ceased operations in 2021 and has since been dismantled
• As of 2022, Morocco is within a Northern Hemisphere migration corridor and did not have offshore windfarms, but was considered a likely candidate in the future
• As of 2023, Western Sahara is within a Northern Hemisphere migration corridor and does not have offshore windfarms, but was considered a likely candidate in the future
• As of 2022, Mauritania is within a Northern Hemisphere migration corridor and does not have offshore windfarms, but was considered a likely candidate in the future
• As of 2022, Senegal is within a Northern Hemisphere migration corridor and does not have offshore windfarms, but was considered a possible candidate in the future
• In Portugal, the Wind Float Atlantic project commenced operations in 2020 and is located on the Atlantic Coast north of Porto, lying in the eastern part of the Atlantic North Sea part of Northern Hemisphere Whale Superhighway.
• In 2017, the potential for offshore wind power was being considered for Cuba
• In 2017, the potential for offshore wind power was being considered for Jamaica
• In 2020, the potential for offshore wind power was being considered for Haiti
• In 2020, the potential for offshore wind power was being considered for the Dominican Republic
• In 2020, the potential for offshore wind power was being considered for Puerto Rico
• in 2021 there was only onshore windpower in South America however by 2023 Colombia was planning offshore wind power with BlueFloat named

And in the Southern Hemisphere Whale Migration Corridors :

• proposed in Australia in 2022
• proposed in New Zealand in 2022
• proposed in South Africa in 2022
• considered for Madagascar in 2019
• Malindi was a planned offshore windfarm project in Kenya but cancelled in 2017
• it was proposed that with the cancellation of Malindi that the project might be relocated to Tanzania in 2017 but it does not appear to have been progressed
•  some have been considered for the African continent in 2019 – 2023 – however none are operating in Africa,
• in 2021 there was only onshore windfarms  in South America, however by 2023 Brazil and Colombia (Northern Hemisphere) were considering offshore wind power with BlueFloat named. Chile has also been investigating future offshore wind projects.

This leaves just three operating offshore windfarms in operation in 2023, which were installed in 2016 or 2020  – two in the USA, Block Island and Coast Virginia  and one in Portugal  Windfloat Atlantic. Another windfarm in Fukushima with two turbines commenced in  2014 but was closed down in 2021. There is another at Kushima in Japan, however it is a nearshore facility initiated with 8 turbines in 2010.

Questions have been raised about the density of the turbines in the four projects.

• Block Island, Rhode island, has 5 operating turbines and commenced operations in 2016.

Image of Block Island turbines from Electrek website

• Coastal Virginia established in 2020, has only 2 operating turbines, though more are planned to follow – see Washington Post article (behind paywall) to view the distance between the 2 turbines
  

  
  BOEM.gov website

• Windfloat Atlantic Project in Portugal – operating since 2020 with 3 turbines
  

  From OffshoreMag

Kamisu offshore windfarm in Japan was operational in 2010, with 7 turbines, then another 8 turbines added in 2013.

Source – Wikimedia

Note – information has been sought to clarify if there are in fact other operating offshore wind farms within the Atlantic North Sea Northern Hemisphere Whale Migration Superhighway – and which one’s have been operating for decades.

Further, have there really been 30-40 years of detailed studies of the impact of offshore windfarms on whales – their migration and health?

There is interesting reading from 2010 in the Conservation of British Cetaceans: A Review of the Threats and Protection Afforded to Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises in UK Waters, Part 1.

The UK has been cited as a country with decades long involvement in offshore wind, and it was surprising to read that in fact back in 2010 there were still identified gaps in the knowledge of whales in the UK generally, let alone related to offshore windfarms back then in 2010!

Read this information from 2010 

“In any event, the UK does not currently have thorough estimates of the number of cetaceans present in UK waters, trends in population sizes, orcetacean patterns of habitat use. These deficiencies add to the difficulty in determining the significance of the various threats that affect UK cetaceans. …Beyond 200 nautical miles from the UK coastline, cetaceans can be hunted, and at present, lethal takes of cetaceans in waters adjacent to the UK are primarily conducted by Norwegian whaling boats targeting northern minke whales. Concern has been expressed that Norwegian whaling operations may take minke whales that inhabit UK waters for part of the year, but whose movements and migrations take them into Norwegian whaling grounds at other times. However, there currently is no information regarding the migration patterns and routes of the minke whales in UK waters or their population structure… Scholarship on anthropogenic disturbance to free-ranging cetaceans has been severely limited by a lack of long-term studies that evaluate cumulative impacts, as well as a lack of understanding about how an undisturbed population behaves…

• The precise significance of virtually all of these is poorly known and this situation is made even worse because we also know little of the distributions and habitat needs of these animals
  • Air guns used during oil and gas exploration;
  •  Fish finders and depth sounders;
  •  Sound sources used in oceanographic research;
  • Predator deterrent devices (seal-scrammers) used in fish farms; 
  • Dredging;
  • Oceanic windfarms; and
  • Military activities.“

So from where is drawn information supporting the claims of decades of experience with offshore windfarms in whale migration corridors?