RWE is to start site surveys of the federal lease area off California where it plans to build its 1.6GW Canopy project – its first commercial-scale floating offshore wind farm.
Site surveys will start this month and continue into 2025.
Subsea service provider Argeo will perform the site investigation work, through which RWE hopes to gather data about the federal seabed lease it won in 2022 and the area in federal waters between the lease and shore.
Argeo will use an autonomous underwater vehicle to conduct the survey due to the depths of the waters in the lease area.
The battery-powered can vehicle can stay below the sea surface for extended periods of time, which reduces overall survey time and emissions, RWE explained. It can also significantly reduce the potential for entanglement of fishing gear as it does not use not towed equipment.
There will also be protected species observers on separate survey vessels 24 hours a day to detect and avoid marine mammals during survey activities and to collect visual observation data on marine wildlife.
By comprehensively ‘mapping’ the seafloor, the companies will begin to assess the best locations for installing wind turbines, anchors and electric cables. They will also better understand the area's biodiversity, habitats, and other environmental factors to ensure responsible planning and design that minimises the impact on ocean ecosystems, RWE stated.
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