Protection of the marine environment thanks to the future offshore substations

Year

2020

Organisation

RTE

Description

French TSO, RTE is designing its future offshore substations to provide different services to the marine environment, such as ecological protection, monitoring of marine biodiversity or serving as test labs for testing innovative renewables prototypes.

Highlights:

  • Increases scientific knowledge of the marine environment in order to better understand and therefore better protect it
  • Creates an interconnected environmental observation network on all French sea fronts
  • Services provided by the substations can be customised for the needs of the individual region
  • Ideas collected through an open innovation challenge with expert stakeholders as well as local business and universities

About the practice:

The substations will provide numerous different services, including monitoring marine environment, measuring marine pollution, or testing solutions conducive to the re-conquest of marine biodiversity.It will also facilitate rescue operations by providing emergency equipment such as aerial or submarine drones and test new marine solutions, such as non-polluting anti-fouling coatings and new corrosion-resistant materials. Most of the data collected will be openly accessible. The substations will be rolled out from 2026 to all offshore and coastal areas where future offshore wind farms are foreseen by the French multi-annual energy plan, including in the North Sea, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

RGI gratefully acknowledges the EU LIFE funding support:

EU LIFE funding support Logo

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the LIFE Programme. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.