Baker Consultants: Gode Wind noise and marine mammal monitoring contract won

Baker Consultants Marine Limited has been appointed by GeoSea following the success of the previous Borkum Riffgrund 1 project to provide underwater noise and marine mammal monitoring and mitigation during the construction phase of the Gode Wind 1 and 2 offshore wind farms.

Dr Federica Pace, marine technical director at Baker Consultants, said: “Building on our successful work as part of DONG Energy’s Borkum Riffgrund 1 project, we are delighted to be appointed by GeoSea to carry out noise and marine mammal monitoring and mitigation for the Gode Wind 1 and 2 offshore wind farms. We will apply our expertise along with our innovative approaches and use of technology to ensure swift approval by the German government for all the offshore foundations.”

GeoSea will undertake the foundation installation work for this DONG Energy project, which will see 97 Siemens wind turbines with a total capacity of 582 MW installed in the North Sea, 45km off the German coast. Baker Consultants is contracted to provide noise monitoring and noise mitigation advice throughout foundation installation of the 97 monopiles, as well as carrying out harbour porpoise activity monitoring and marine mammal mitigation and reporting on the efficiency of the mitigation strategy. This work begins in April 2015, from when the team will be based in the Netherlands.

The wind turbines are expected to be fully commissioned in the second half of 2016 and, in total, the Gode Wind 1 and 2 wind farms will supply CO₂-free power approximately equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 600,000 German households.

Baker Consultants has a dedicated team of noise experts and bioacousticians who provide a comprehensive service at all stages of project development, from modelling potential impacts to informing the Environmental Impact Assessment and monitoring during construction.

Glenn Carton, Project Manager at GeoSea, said: “We were keen to work with Baker Consultants again, following our effective collaboration on Borkum Riffgrund 1. Baker Consultants’ input was instrumental in obtaining sign-off from the German government for the installation of all the monopile foundations, according to strict underwater noise conditions. Their fast, efficient reporting and innovative approach to analysing data were also critical in gaining this approval.”