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RWE, in collaboration with Hydrotechnik Offshore, a Germany-based bubble curtain developer, has deployed the underwater noise abatement technology during monopile installation at the Sofia offshore wind farm, marking the first time the technology has been used in the UK. Currently under construction on Dogger Bank, 195 kilometres off the UK coast, the 1.4 GW Sofia project is situated within the Southern North Sea Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a protected zone for harbour porpoises where noise disturbance regulations are strictly monitored, RWE says. The bubble curtain reduces the propagation of underwater noise during piling operations and mitigates disturbances to marine species, such as harbour porpoises, dolphins, and whales, which rely on ultrasound for orientation. The technology has already been used on several offshore wind projects, including Vattenfall’s DanTysk wind farm offshore Germany back in 2013. |
