During the spatial planning and construction of offshore wind turbine parks, the effects on marine ecosystems are not taken sufficiently into account. According to Prof. Han Lindeboom of Wageningen IMARES, this could have major consequences for marine animals and birds in the future. Speaking on 13 February at the Offshore Wind Power Conference in Den Helder, Lindeboom called for more environmentally benign construction methods, and stated that the wind parks should pay more attention to their effects on the surrounding ecosystem.
During the planning and construction of offshore wind turbine parks, there is little consideration of the potential effects, especially on birds. Research conducted on the wind parks built on the Dutch continental shelf in the North Sea has shown that the parks can be attractive for some bird species, such as the cormorant, but that other species, such as the common guillemot and the northern gannet, are not benefited. This is especially the case if the wind turbines are located close to each other or if the parks as a whole create a large barrier; the birds then become afraid to fly through the wind parks and fly around them instead. With the current parks, these effects do not appear to be serious, but if many parks are built, the problems could become worse.
At present, many wind parks are planned on the Belgian continental shelf of the North Sea directly adjacent to the Dutch border, and the Netherlands also has plans to zone the neighbouring area for large-scale wind parks. If these parks are constructed as planned, this could result in large barriers for birds and marine mammals, and in the long term could lead to the animals changing the way they use the sea. Research must be conducted into whether problems could be prevented by spacing the wind turbines differently or by creating turbine-free flying or swimming corridors. Up to now, however, there appears to be no coordination between the Netherlands and Belgium. In addition, these types of problems can also occur elsewhere in the North Sea if all the countries start building large wind parks along their borders.
In the Netherlands, the first two offshore wind turbine parks were constructed by driving piles for the turbine foundations. This pile driving creates intense noise under water, which can be deadly for harbour porpoise up to a kilometre away, and can also be deadly for seals and fish larvae. Although research has not yet shown any effects, future effects cannot be excluded if construction and pile driving take place everywhere in the North Sea.
In Belgium, the first very large wind turbines have been constructed with a concrete foundation on the seafloor, which does not require any pile driving. This method probably results in a major reduction in the effects on sea animals and fish larvae. The researchers from Wageningen IMARES recommend additional research into the use of more environmentally friendly construction methods, such as vibratory pile drivers and concrete foundations.