The Departments of Energy and the Interior announced nearly $17 million in funding to support the offshore wind industry, including efforts to protect marine life. Despite the U.S. government having said there are “no known links between large whale deaths and ongoing offshore wind activities,” federal officials are investing in additional measures to enhance protections for marine animals during the construction of wind turbines.
A portion of the new funding will be used to develop technologies and strategies aimed at reducing underwater noise during the installation of offshore wind farms. Jeff Marootian, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, said these efforts will help ensure “environmentally responsible development” of this infrastructure.
Marine experts highlighted the potential impacts of noise from wind farm construction. Pile driving, the process of hammering turbines into the seafloor, can produce sound levels exceeding 225 decibels underwater, which is comparable to the volume of noise that a person would hear from putting their head near a Boeing 747 engine at full power.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently acknowledged that the sounds from these activities could “adversely affect” nearby whale populations and marine life. However, NOAA officials have stated they do not anticipate that the construction will result in any whale fatalities or serious injuries. They assert that these activities will not jeopardize the continued existence of any whale species, including the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
In total, seven projects have been selected to receive federal funding to address the noise issue. The largest grant, nearly $4 million, will go to Purdue University for its efforts to mitigate the underwater sound generated during turbine installation.