Birds fly in the face of offshore wind farm

European Energy has decided to drop plans to establish its coastal offshore wind project, Omø Syd in Smålandsfarvandet, because of a bird sanctuary being designated in the same area.

A decision to halt the development temporarily in 2020 was applauded by the Dansk Ornitologisk Forening (Danish Ornithological Society), following a decision by the Danish Energy Agency, which raised concerns about the ‘large important populations of waterfowl’ in the Småland waters between Zealand and Lolland.

Ironically, European Energy discovered the plans to designate the area on the very same day it received its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval, it said. Since then it has been trying to work out how it can co-exist the project with the birds.

“We have tried to get the project to fly in coexistence with considerations of nature, but we have to conclude that authorities and politicians have not had much interest in this,” head of Offshore Wind at European Energy Andreas Karhula Lauridsen posted on his LinkedIn page.

“As our feasibility study permit has a height limit of 200 metres, and today’s offshore wind turbines have reached 256 metres tall, it goes without saying that the project does not have a future.”

“Both DOF BirdLife and researchers from Aarhus University believe that the waters of Småland are of international importance for diving ducks and other waterfowl. It should therefore be designated an International Bird Protection Area,” said Knud Flensted, biologist at DOF BirdLife.

“DOF BirdLife supports wind energy in principle, but it is precisely in relation to the offshore wind farm Omø Syd that it is the location that is wrong.

”Of course, a wind farm should not be built in the middle of an important bird area. But wind turbines can be placed where they generate far less and we support this, for example in the North Sea.”

A week ago, European Energy signed an agreement to expand its collaboration with TotalEnergies to offshore wind with three offshore wind projects in Denmark, Finland and Sweden.

“We are now looking forward to realising the Jammerland Bay, Little Belt South and Frederikshavn projects, just as we are working on a large number of onshore wind and solar projects throughout Denmark,” Lauridsen said.