Spanish public multinational electric utility firm Iberdrola has awarded a contract to Baker Consultants to deliver underwater noise and marine mammal activity monitoring service for the former’s 350MW Wikinger offshore wind farm in Baltic Sea.
The wind farm will be equipped with 70 turbines and construction of the same will start in March this year, with operations scheduled to start in 2017.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Iberdrola, which so far has installed more than 14GW power projects, has invested €1.4bn in the Wikinger offshore wind farm.
Upon completion, the wind farm will supply electricity to more than 350,000 houses as well as reduce 600,000t of carbon emissions per year.
It will be Baker’s first project in the Baltic Sea and third in German waters.
In Germany, the government tries to check noise pollution level in the marine environment though strict regulatory rules.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataUnder the deal, Baker will observe underwater noise emission and movements of harbour porpoises, which might be present in and around the wind farm during piling operations.
During the piling works, Baker will deploy noise monitoring devices in the construction site.
The company will also offer expert consultancy services such as method statements, technical support in compliance with the requirements of the German regulatory authority (BSH) as well as interpretation of the collected data, to Iberdrola.
Baker Consultants managing director Andrew Baker said: "Our unique skill-set and technical expertise in underwater noise monitoring, bioacoustics and marine mammal monitoring allow us to provide a comprehensive service to Iberdrola.
"We are able to generate robust results in line with underwater noise regulations and reduce costs through our use of technical innovation".
The marine team at Baker is comprised of underwater noise specialists, marine ecology experts as well as authorities involved in environmental law and public inquiries and data analysts.
The team offers full service at several stages of project development such as forming potential impacts of a project at conception, environmental impact assessments at planning stage as well as monitoring during construction and operation of projects.
Image: installation of a wind turbine at Gode Wind offshore wind farm in 2015 . Photo: courtesy of Baker Consultants
