Amazon, a commercial-scale seaweed between offshore wind turbines- The world’s first commercial-scale seaweed farm, North Sea Farm 1, is set to become operational by the end of 2023. The project will be located in a wind farm off the coast of the Netherlands and aims to improve seaweed farming methods while researching the potential of seaweed to sequester carbon. The farm is managed by a consortium of scientific researchers and partners from the seaweed industry, led by non-profit organization North Sea Farmers (NSF). The location of the farm between offshore wind turbines will use previously empty space to capture carbon and expand seaweed cultivation in the otherwise heavily used North Sea.
Amazon is funding the project with €1.5 million from its Right Now Climate Fund, which is committed to supporting nature-based solutions to tackle climate change. Seaweed has the potential to absorb CO2 as it grows and can also be used to manufacture packaging, food, and clothing. If seaweed farming were to expand to occupy the entire space of wind farms in the North Sea, expected to be around 1 million hectares by 2040, it could reduce millions of tonnes of CO2 annually.
North Sea Farm 1 aims to kickstart innovation in offshore seaweed farming and will construct a 10-hectare seaweed farm to produce at least 6,000kg of fresh seaweed in its first year. The funding will also support the analysis and improvement of the farm’s production capabilities and the exploration of the potential of seaweed farms to remove carbon from the atmosphere. The non-profit hopes these findings will help scale the industry and create job opportunities in the farming and production of seaweed-based products.
North Sea Farmers have been championing the seaweed sector in Europe since 2014 and will lead the project, working with a consortium of organizations involved in the entire seaweed production supply chain. As part of its commitment to funding nature-based projects in European communities, Amazon has also invested in other projects, including nature and wildlife restoration, reforestation, and urban greening programs.
Amazon, a commercial-scale seaweed between offshore wind turbines
