Abstract
Independent and sustainable energy production is becoming increasingly important over time and offshore wind farms (OWFs) play a vital role in meeting those energy requirements. The first construction of OWFs in the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS) started in 2009. In 2020, the first large offshore wind zone, consisting of 9 concession zones and 399 wind turbines, was finalised. Today, this allows for a production capacity of 2.2 GW of green electricity. Further plans have been made to increase this production to 4.5 GW through the construction of three more offshore wind farm zones. According to the Belgian Offshore Platform (BOP) offshore wind production in the BPNS must increase to 5.7 GW to, in combination with solar power, supply half of Belgium’s electricity requirement from renewable sources by 2030 (Belgian Offshore Platform, 2023).
The construction and presence of these OWFs is not without impact on marine life, but not all impacts are negative. A first positive aspect is that OWFs function as artificial reefs, providing opportunities for various marine life forms (Degraer et al., 2020). After construction of these wind turbines, a long-term colonization process starts on the submerged part of the turbine and the deposited rocks which function as scour protection. Degraer et al.(2020) found that these epifouling communities reach a climax state after 6+ years. A More recent study by Zupan et al.(2023) however, claims that these communities may either not reach an equilibrium or that this climax might show temporal and cyclical variation. A second positive impact of OWFs is the fact that these artificial constructions might also function as steppingstones for species with planktonic life stages, allowing them to reach previously inaccessible regions (Adams et al., 2014). The creation of this new habitat, combined with this steppingstone effect can however leave the area vulnerable for the invasion of non-indigenous species, which might negatively affect native habitats (Glasby et al., 2006).