On November 7, 2012, Orbicon entered a consultancy agreement with Energinet.dk on preparing an environmental impact assessment on offshore wind turbines on Horns Rev 3 (reef on Jutland’s west coast).  The surveys will go on 1½ year and is prepared in cooperation with a series of international companies.

The environmental impact assessment aim is to screen whether or not there will be unintended environmental consequences caused by the Horns Rev 3 project. Subsequently it is up to the authorities to grant permission to the project.

Horns Rev 3 – a means to renewable energy
Recently the Government reached an environmental settlement which means Denmark’s energy supply must derive from renewable resources by 2050.  Horns Rev 3 and Krigers Flak wind parks are the next in line to be established. In 2017 Horns Rev 3 will be ready for use.

Horns Rev 3 will cover an area of approximately 90 km² and will be able to produce 400 MW (per day? per year? per month?) which is more than Horns Rev 1 and Horns Rev 2 together.

Survey in progress
Orbicon collaborates with a series of national and international highly specialised partners.

-  In November we began our planning phase and fieldwork. We register birds and survey marine mammals, says International Project Coordinator Mr. Kristian Nehring Madsen, Orbicon.

-  When the environmental impact assessments were made for Horns Rev 1 and Horns Rev 2, part of the preliminary examinations made then, are similar to those we are doing now. That is why we have a significant knowledge on how offshore wind parks impact the environment, explains Mr. Kristian Nehring Madsen.

In collaboration with our sub-consultants Orbicon have the responsibility for examining following:

- Sediment conditions
- Water quality
- Hydrography
- Marine mammals
- Birds and bats
- Radar and radio relay systems
- Visualisation
- Plan documents
- Sailing conditions
- Socio-economic noise and issues
- Nature and area interests