Partnering with WREN, questionnaires are sent to offshore wind energy developers around the world who are involved in environmental monitoring. This page provides contextual project information and highlights environmental monitoring, providing links to available data and reports. Content is updated annually.

Rhyl Flats

Description

RWE Renewables’ Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm is comprised of 25 wind turbines and has a 90 MW capacity which can power over 70,000 average UK households (equivalent to cutting 1.7 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year). The wind farm occupies an area of approximately 10 square kilometres.

Rhyl Flats is operated by RWE and is owned by a consortium of RWE (50.1%), Green Investment Group (24.95%) and Greencoat (24.95%). The project was initially developed by Celtic Offshore Wind Limited (COWL) as part of the UK's Round 1 offshore wind farm programme.

Location

Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm is located in Liverpool Bay, roughly 8 km off the North Wales coast at the eastern end of the Constable Bank. 

Project Timeline

  • 2009: Fully Commissioned
  • December 2009: Generating Power
  • July 2008: Foundation Piles Installation Completion and Offshore Cabling Installation Start
  • April 2008: Foundation Piles Installation Start
  • 2008: Onshore Construction Start
  • July 2007: Offshore Foundation Construction Start
  • 2006: Start of Site Investigations
  • December 2002: RWE purchased the Rhyl Flats project from COWL
  • 2002: Celtic Offshore Wind Limited (COWL) received full consents
  • 2002: Offtake Conditionally Secured
  • 2001: Site Exclusivity Granted 
     

Key Environmental Issues

Per the Non-Technical Summary of the Rhyl Flats Environmental Impact Assessment, potential impacts to ecology, marine mammals, fish, and ornithology were minimized through the adoption of mitigation measures during the design, construction, and operation of the project. 

Environmental Papers and Reports

Additional Rhyl Flats data can be found on the Marine Data Exchange.

Environmental Monitoring: Rhyl Flats

Searches description, design and methods, and results.
Phase Stressor & Receptor Design and Methods Results Publications Data
Baseline Birds Aerial Video Surveys
A HiDef aerial video survey was carried out over two days on the 5th and 8th of April 2009. The aim of this trial was to demonstrate the ability to identify red throated divers from video data. 		Complete
A total of 15 red-throated divers were identified giving a population estimate of 75. 		Hexter 2009

2009, HiDef Aerial Surveying Ltd., Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm, High Resolution Video Survey of Seabirds and Marine Mammals in the Rhyl Flats Area
Baseline Birds Ornithological Surveys
Ornithological survey data was collected from August 2005 to November 2006. Aerial and boat-based surveys were conducted. 		Complete
Unidentified divers, cormorant, auks, common scoters, and kittiwake were among the most observed species. 		Gill et al. 2007

Annual FEPA Monitoring Report (2005-6) Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm Interim Ornithology Chapter
Baseline Birds Boat and Aerial Surveys, Data Review
Boat surveys were undertaken from January to March 2002 at ten sample point locations in the wind farm site. Aerial surveys were conducted in December 2001 and January 2002. Existing relevant published information was reviewed. 		Complete
Boat surveys recorded scoter movement during the day. Aerial surveys were a part of a common scoter survey. 		Anatec et al. 2002 No data publicly available.
Baseline Fish, Physical Environment Beam Trawl Surveys
A beam trawl survey was undertaken during September 2006.

The beam trawl survey was conducted between the 5th and the 7th of September 2006. A digital photograph of each sample was taken before any sorting or identification of organisms took place. 		Complete
954 fish from 23 fish taxa were recorded. The largest number of individuals were recorded at sites 12 and 13 on the planned cable route and site 2 located in the northwest of the wind farm area.

1,014 fish from 15 species were recorded. The largest number of individuals recorded along the proposed cable route. Relatively high numbers of individuals were also observed at sites to the south of the array. 		Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies Ltd (CMACS) 2007, Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies Ltd (CMACS) 2005

2006, CMACS, Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm, Beam Trawl Survey

2005, CMACS, Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm, Beam Trawl Survey 
Baseline Physical Environment Grab Surveys and Sediment Analyses
A benthic grab survey was conducted in 2006 at twenty-nine sites in the Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm project area. The results were compared to the findings of the previous 2005 monitoring survey.

A grab sampling survey was undertaken during October 2005 during the pre-construction phase of the Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm project. These surveys will be repeated annually as part of the proposed monitoring. 		Complete
Of the twenty-nine designated sampling sites, twenty-six were successfully sampled in
triplicate while no samples were obtained for sites 4, 18 and 28 due to pebbles or sometimes
larger cobbles preventing the grab jaws from closing so that an adequate sample was not
obtained. Faunal species were similar to those recorded in 2005.

25 grab stations were successfully sampled retrieving 3 faunal and 3 PSA samples from each. 		Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies Ltd (CMACS) 2007, Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies Ltd (CMACS) 2005

2006, CMACS, Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm, Benthic Grab Survey

2005, CMACS, Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm, Grab Survey
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