Press Release - Simply Blue Group joins NSF#1 consortium
2024-03-14
PRESS RELEASE
Simply Blue Group joins consortium developing world’s first commercial-scale seaweed farm located within a wind farm
March 14th, 2024 - Simply Blue Group, a blue economy project developer headquartered in Ireland, has joined the North Sea Farm 1 Project (NSF1) consortium to develop the world’s first commercial-scale seaweed farm located within an offshore windfarm. Positioned off the coast of the Netherlands in the North Sea, the 10ha farm is planned to become operational in autumn this year when it will be deployed and seeded, with the first harvest expected to be in spring 2025.
Sponsored by Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund, the consortium aims to help address climate action targets in Europe by tapping into the vast, unmet potential of seaweed cultivation. Like trees, seaweed absorbs nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon dioxide and produces oxygen, thereby being part of the solution to climate change and ocean acidification. In doing this, it produces a valuable biomass with a wide range of uses from pharmaceuticals to animal feed to fertilisers.
Low carbon economy
Simply Blue Group is focused on replacing fossil fuels with clean ocean energy, removing CO2 from the atmosphere, and developing sustainable sources of protein, while attracting investment into coastal communities. It has a keen interest in multiple use of wind farms and believes that efficient use of sea space is key to working with the oceans on climate change and bring more local communities and supply chains into the transition to a low carbon economy.
Hugh Kelly Co-Founder & CEO at Simply Blue Group said: “At Simply Blue Group, we want our marine projects to make a tangible difference, which is why we’re delighted to join this consortium. We recognise that seaweed cultivation is a valuable tool in tackling climate change and supporting our oceans. We believe that in time offshore wind farms will have multiple uses, with seaweed production being one of them. By joining NSF1 we are making the first step on that journey.”
Expertise
Eef Brouwers, Project Manager of the North Sea Farm 1 initiative said: “We are delighted that Simply Blue Group has joined the consortium to help deliver this project. Their expertise in aquaculture and offshore wind will be valuable in the successful execution of seaweed production in an offshore wind farm for the first time. The North Sea Farm 1 project aims to help the seaweed industry in scaling-up within offshore wind farms and Simply Blue Group’s capabilities in both areas make them an ideal partner.”
ENDS
About Simply Blue Group
Simply Blue Group, headquartered in Cork, Ireland, is a leading blue economy developer with a focus on replacing fossil fuels with clean ocean energy. It develops pioneering renewable energy projects both offshore and onshore –wind, sustainable fuels, marine energy, carbon dioxide removal and low-impact aquaculture – all in harmony with the oceans and the land. The company has a pipeline of over 10GW of offshore wind projects across the globe. With these projects, Simply Blue Group is committed to creating new economic opportunities for coastal communities, and developing projects that co-exist with sustainable fisheries and marine conservation.
With a passionate team, Simply Blue Group has offices in Cork, Dublin, Newquay, Pembrokeshire, Edinburgh, Bilbao, and Nova Scotia. To find out more about our blue economy projects, please visit www.simplybluegroup.com
About North Sea Farmers 1 (NSF1) Project
North Sea Farmers (NSF) is an independent and not-for-profit sector organisation for the European seaweed industry. NSF has a member base of over one hundred companies, pioneering start-ups, research institutes, NGOs and other stakeholders. By enabling these members to become successful with their seaweed ambitions NSF hope to shape an innovative and prosperous sector in Europe.
NSF works in the entire seaweed value chain and facilitates knowledge exchange on sustainable seaweed cultivation, production, marketing, education, policies and research, and facilitates joint innovation projects. NSF’s activities are mainly focused on, but not limited to, the North Sea.
For North Sea Farm 1, North Sea Farmers will head up a consortium of partner organisations from across Europe that are involved in the entire seaweed production supply chain. This includes researchers Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Deltares and Silvestrum Climate Associates, seaweed extract manufacturers Algaia and maritime contractors Van Oord.
For further information, please contact:
Sara Dymond, Group Communications Director sara.dymond@simplybluegroup.com +353 86 1044011
