Floating Wind Turbine Becomes Marine Nursery Off France

Why this is here: Ecocean tested the BioHut structures on buoys before scaling up to a wind turbine float measuring 80 meters on each side.

Ocean Winds installed 34 metal structures on a floating wind turbine off the coast of Barcarès and Port-la-Nouvelle, France. These structures, called BioHuts, function as an artificial nursery for marine life.

The wind turbine, one of three in a pilot farm, generates enough electricity for roughly 50,000 people. Ecocean designed the BioHuts after eight years of testing smaller versions on buoys 15 to 30 kilometers offshore.

Researchers already observed species like sea urchins, Mediterranean scallops, groupers, and octopuses colonizing the test buoys. This installation expands the scale to a turbine with an 80-meter-wide float, compared to the 1.5-meter buoys. Over the next four years, scientists will study the BioHuts’ ecological impact.

Currently, the team plans to compare the equipped float to a control float without the structures. The long-term effects on marine biodiversity remain to be seen, but the project aims to inform future offshore energy developments.