Offshore Wind Farms' Impact on Marine Life Under Scrutiny

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Offshore wind farms are expanding as countries invest in renewable energy. It enables the utilisation of strong ocean winds and can also help emerging technologies such as wireless charging for electric vessels. But research suggests the installations could also affect marine ecosystems. Multiple studies have examined how offshore wind farms affect harbour porpoises, with findings indicating changes in the animals' activity around wind farm sites, although researchers continue to investigate the reasons behind the trend.

Studies tracked porpoise activity around offshore wind farms

One of the earliest long-term studies was conducted at the Nysted Offshore Wind Farm in the Baltic Sea. In 2004, Denmark's National Environmental Research Institute (NERI) reported that local harbour porpoises largely avoided the area during the wind farm's first year of operation, leading to a decline in recorded echolocation activity, which the animals use to hunt and navigate. Researchers revisited the site in a follow-up study published in Environmental Research Letters in 2012. The study found that porpoise activity had increased since the wind farm became operational, but remained only slightly above one-quarter of the levels recorded before construction. Scientists have proposed several explanations for the gradual return of some porpoises. One theory suggests the animals became accustomed to the presence of the wind farm over time. Another points to increasing food availability around the structures, partly linked to artificial reef effects and reduced fishing activity in surrounding waters.

New research offers a different perspective

More recent findings have presented a different view. In 2026, the Predators + Prey Around Renewable Energy Developments (PrePARED) project published research examining how offshore wind farms and large ships could affect harbour porpoises. Unlike the earlier field studies, the PrePARED project relied on computer simulations using the DEPONS process-based module rather than observations of real animals or operational wind farms. According to the researchers, the simulations suggested that wind farm construction alone did not displace porpoises in numbers large enough to explain earlier observations. The differing conclusions highlight the complexity of assessing the effects of offshore renewable energy projects on marine wildlife. While some marine species have been seen using habitats created around offshore wind farm foundations after construction, researchers say evidence for harbour porpoises is less conclusive. Scientists continue to study how offshore wind farms interact with marine ecosystems, including the combined effects of underwater noise, vessel traffic and habitat changes, to better understand their long-term impact on porpoise populations.

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