In recent years, several small-scale seaweed farming initiatives have been launched within the European coastal zone, particularly close to the coastline. However, large-scale cultivation of seaweed is not yet possible with the current state of cultivation techniques.
In this project companies Seaweed Harvest Nordsea, AtSeaNova, Murre Technologies and GEOxyz want to significantly increase the production of seaweed. The seaweed collective North Sea Farm Foundation and knowledge institutes Ugent and HZ University of Applied Science will support them in this endeavour. Together, the partners will develop a large-scale and automated seaweed cultivation system that is reliable at sea and that can be used within the many wind farms in the North Sea. In this way, the project contributes to the multiple use of space of the wind farms.
The intention is to build the farm on land in September, after which it will be installed between the wind turbines of the Norther Wind Farm. A first harvest is planned for May 2021. The consortium points out the many advantages of offshore seaweed cultivation, e.g. the practice does not require fertilizers, no extra space is taken up and seaweed is a source of healthy food. Moreover, the practice is climate-neutral, which also makes it beneficial for the climate.
The project is coordinated by AtSeaNova NV and has a total budget of 3.4 million euros, half of which is sponsored by Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland.
For more information about this project: VrtNWS, Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland
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