EMF and heat emissions
EMF and heat emissions
Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and heat emissions from offshore wind farms and grid infrastructure primarily arise from the electrical cables used to transport power generated by wind turbines. These cables, both inter-array (connecting turbines) and export cables (connecting the wind farm to the onshore grid), generate EMFs and heat as electricity flows through them.
Lifecycle phase
Impact
Biodiversity receptor
Measure for wind turbine
Measure for grid
Avoidance or minimisation
Status offshore
Planning
Potential behavioural and physical impacts
Fish, marine mammals, plankton
Choice of cable design to minimise the EMF being produced - For AC cables, special attention should be given to the distance between twists, for DC cables it is recommended to do cable bundling which also reduces the number of vessels needed for cable laying and the amount of trenching. For interarray cables, it should be bundled and shielded AC cables.
Minimisation
Implemented
Planning
Potential behavioural and physical impacts
Fish, marine mammals, plankton
Cable burial to reduce the amount of seabed under EMF and reduce EMF intensity on sediment surface.
Minimisation
Implemented
Planning
Potential behavioural and physical impacts
Fish, marine mammals, plankton
Shield cables in a way to prevent direct electric field from the cable to be transmitted in the environment.
Avoidance
Implemented
Planning
Potential behavioural and physical impacts
Fish, marine mammals, plankton
Cable burial to minimise heat emissions
Minimisation
Implemented
Operation
Potential behavioural and phyiscal impacts
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles, plankton and benthos
Cable burrial and cable shieldingl reduces the amount of EMF and heat being transmitted in the environment.
Minimisation
Implemented
