Noise emissions and vibrations
Noise emissions and vibrations
Different levels of noise emissions and vibrations are produced during surveying, construction, operation, and decommissioning of offshore wind and grid infrastructure. To ensure these emissions don’t negatively impact biodiversity, it is essential to implement available avoidance and minimisation measures.
Lifecycle phase
Impact
Biodiversity receptor
Measure for wind turbine
Measure for grid
Avoidance or minimisation
Status offshore
Planning
Avoidance, displacement and injury
All receptors
Conducting specialist geophysical surveying, threat and risk assessment for potential UXOs in order to site away from potential UXOs. If not possible and if UXOs are identified - detonation and removal should take place but with noise mitigation measures such as usage of ADD.
Avoidance / minimisation
Implemented
Construction
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Establish mandatory noise threshold values, looking at cumulative values as well.
Minimisation
Implemented
Construction
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
When deciding how to install piles, assess if pile drilling is an option instead of pile hammering.
Minimisation
Implemented
Construction
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Adjustment of piling energy (soft start) in the beginning of pile-driving-process and gradual increase of the piling energy so that noise-sensitive animals are able to leave areas.
Minimisation
Implemented
Construction
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Using deterrence devices (sea scarers, pingers) such as Acoustic Mitigation Devices (AMD), Acoustic Deterrent Devices (ADD), Acousting Harassement Devices (AHD) to displace marine species from the area of risk.
Minimisation
Implemented
Construction
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Employ Marine Mammal Observer (MMO) on the installation vessel to ensure no animal is being distrubed or injured. MMOs should do the observation within a specified area before a noisy activity begins.
Avoidance
Implemented
Construction
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Use passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) to monitor marine mammals during night time and poor visibility conditions to ensure no marine mammals are within a specified area prior to construction activities.
Avoidance
Implemented
Construction
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Using Blue piling technology instead of conventional hydraulic hammer while piling.
Minimisation
Tested
Construction
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Modification of piling hammer by integrating a layer between hammer and pile ('piling cushion')
Minimisation
Implemented
Construction
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Deploying (double) Big Bubble Curtain (BBC) to reduce noise during installation of monopiles and jacket foundation for turbines and offshore platforms.
Minimisation
Implemented
Construction
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Using Hydro Sound Dampers (HSD), surrounding pile with HSD elements such as foam, plastic or gas-filled baloons that reflect/absorb sound.
Minimisation
Tested
Construction
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Using cofferdams
Minimisation
Implemented
Construction
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Instead of doing impact-piling, apply vibro-piling. This involves vibrating the pile which causes temporary reduction in the surrounding soil resistance and allows the pile to sink into the seabed.
Minimisation
Tested
Construction
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Time limitations: Limit number of hours for piling per day and for number of days.
Minimisation
Implemented
Construction
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Timing: Avoid sensitive feeding, spawning, breeding and nursery areas during times of the year when being used for these activities. An installation protocol should have this information included.
Avoidance
Implemented
Operation
Avoidance, displacement and injury
All receptors
Reduce the number of maintenance vessel trips as much as possible to reduce the disturbance of ecosystem.
Minimisation
Implemented
Operation
Avoidance, displacement and injury
All receptors
Adjust the speed of maintenance vessels in order to reduce the noise emissions and reduce the risk of collisions with marine mammals.
Minimisation
Implemented
End of life
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Using deterrence devices(sea scarers, pingers) such as Acoustic Mitigation Devices (AMD), Acoustic Deterrent Devices (ADD), Acousting Harassement Devices (AHD) to displace marine species from the area of risk.
Minimisation
Implemented
End of life
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Employ Marine Mammal Observer (MMO) on the decommissiong vessel to ensure no animal is being distrubed or injured. MMOs should do the observation within a specified area before a noisy activity begins.
Avoidance/minimisation
Implemented
End of life
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Use passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) to monitor marine mammals during night time and poor visibility conditions to ensure no marine mammals are within a specified area prior to decommissioning activities.
Avoidance
Implemented
End of life
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Deploying (double) Big Bubble Curtain (BBC) to reduce noise during removal of monopiles and jacket foundation for turbines and offshore platforms
Minimisation
Implemented
End of life
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Using Hydro Sound Dampers (HSD), surrounding pile with HSD elements such as foam, plastic or gas-filled baloons that reflect/absorb sound
Minimisation
Implemented
End of life
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Using cofferdams
Minimisation
Implemented
End of life
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Time limitations: Limit number of hours for decommissioning activities per day or number of days.
Minimisation
Implemented
End of life
Avoidance, displacement and injury
Fish, marine mammals, sea turtles
Timing: Avoid sensitive feeding, spawning, breeding and nursery areas during times of the year when being used for these activities. A decommissioning protocol should have this information included.
Minimisation
Implemented
