Innovative Reef cubes® Enhance Biodiversity at Rampion Offshore Wind Farm

APEM Group supported RWE and ARC marine in delivering a pioneering nature-inclusive design solution at Rampion Offshore Wind Farm. Through our specialist brand, GoBe Consultants, our role was to provide an environmental assessment in support of the marine licence application for the deployment of Reef cubes®; a novel scour protection method designed to improve biodiversity while maintaining engineering integrity.

Project Summary

The project involved trial deployment of Reef cubes® around one turbine at Rampion Offshore Wind Farm. This innovative approach aimed to address an emerging scour risk at a previously unprotected turbine, while enhancing marine habitats. APEM led on the creation of the marine licence application documentation, ensuring regulatory compliance and enabling the installation of Reef cubes®.

Project Context

Rampion Offshore Wind Farm, operated by RWE, was identified as an ideal location to test Reef Enhanced Scour Protection (RESP), Reef cubes® developed by ARC marine as a new scour protection solution. These structures are specially designed to offer both robust engineering performance and ecological enhancement. APEM’s involvement was critical in navigating the marine licensing requirements, drawing on our expertise in offshore consenting and marine ecology.

This collaboration reflects a growing industry focus on nature-inclusive design and marine net gain, aligning with sustainability objectives and innovation in offshore wind development.

Project Challenges:

Regulatory compliance: Securing approval for an innovative design within existing marine licensing frameworks.

Environmental considerations: Assessing the impacts of the installation of a novel product.

Stakeholder coordination: Aligning objectives between RWE, ARC marine, and regulators to meet tight timelines.

Solution

APEM’s Marine Ecology and Consenting teams worked collaboratively to prepare a robust marine licence application supported by detailed environmental information. Our approach ensured the project met regulatory requirements while promoting biodiversity enhancement.

By leveraging our experience in offshore wind consenting, APEM played an important role in the successful deployment of Reef cubes, a first-of-its-kind trial at Rampion Offshore Wind Farm.

Reef cubes and marine life

Driving Innovation in Offshore Wind

This case study demonstrates APEM Group’s commitment to supporting sustainable offshore wind development through innovative solutions. By enabling the deployment of Reef cubes® at Rampion, we have helped set a precedent for integrating engineering resilience with ecological enhancement; paving the way for future projects that deliver marine net gain.

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