This autumn, North Sea Farm 1, the world’s first commercial-scale seaweed farm will open within Vattenfall/BASF/Allianz’s offshore wind farm ‘Hollandse Kust Zuid’ (HKZ). The project is to serve as a replicable commercial model for offshore seaweed cultivation worldwide.
North Sea Farm 1 is a floating farm located between wind turbines where seaweed cultivation can be tested and improved. Scientific research will also be conducted on site into the potential of seaweed farms to capture carbon. By locating the farm in previously empty space between turbines, the project is able to expand seaweed cultivation in the otherwise heavily used North Sea. There is more than enough space in the current and future planned wind farms in the North Sea to scale up production to 1 million tons of fresh seaweed per year by 2040. This is expected to contribute to the capture and avoidance of millions of tons of CO2.
North Sea Farm 1 is thus intended to be the catalyst for scaling up the seaweed sector. When complete, the farm will span 5-hectares, and is expected to produce at least 6,000 kg of fresh seaweed in the first year. This seaweed will be processed into inspiring applications for Europe.
North Sea Farmers
The project is led by North Sea Farmers and executed by a consortium of scientific researchers and partners from the seaweed industry. NSF leads this project with the aim of gathering essential evidence for the sector. The consortium includes researchers from Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PLM), Deltares, and Silvestrum Climate Associates, seaweed extract manufacturer Algaia, project developer Simply Blue Group, and maritime contractors Van Oord and Doggerland Offshore.
“We are particularly pleased to receive the world’s first permit for a seaweed farm within a wind farm. Hollandse Kust Zuid is one of the newest wind farms in the North Sea and at the same time relatively close to the coast, about two hours sailing. We hope that, with this project, people will become further convinced of the scaling opportunities of seaweed in the North Sea, but also of other forms of co-use such as solar, wave energy, and nature restoration.”
Eef Brouwers, General Manager of North Sea Farmers
Hollandse Kust Offshore Wind Farm
Wind Farm Hollandse Kust Zuid is located between Scheveningen and Zandvoort, approximately 18 kilometers off the Dutch coast. The wind farm, owned by Vattenfall, BASF, and Allianz, consists of 139 turbines and was inaugurated by King Willem-Alexander in September 2023. The amount of electricity produced by the wind farm is equivalent to the consumption of 1.5 million Dutch households.
Funding by Amazon
Amazon has made €1.5 million available for the establishment of North Sea Farm 1 and a year-long scientific study on CO2 reduction through seaweed cultivation. This investment is made through Amazon’s global Right Now Climate Fund, which totals $100 million and exists to support nature-based solutions.
“We’re extremely excited that North Sea Farm 1 is about to become a fully operational seaweed farm. We look forward to gaining a much deeper understanding of the potential of seaweed to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the scientific research that North Sea Farmers, Plymouth Marine Laboratory and their partners will be undertaking here.”
Roeland Donker, Amazon Netherlands Country Manager
Images: Artist’s Impression of a seaweed farm by Smartland Landscape Architecture
