WindFloat Atlantic records 272 underwater species

Below the surface, WindFloat Atlantic’s floats are no longer just supports for wind turbines. 20 kilometers from Viana do Castelo, Portugal, the wind farm’s monitoring has recorded 272 underwater species. Operating since 2020, it consists of three 8.4 MW turbines, for a combined capacity of 25.2 MW.

The mechanism observed is simple: the submerged structures were quickly covered in mussels and anemones. These organisms transformed the floats into artificial reefs, providing an anchoring point and shelter for other species. The area also benefits from the absence of fishing—two factors contributing to the density of life recorded by the WindFloat Atlantic teams.

The results can be seen in the counts. Nearly 674 octopuses and 5,000 fish from 52 species were observed in the wind farm, with a density significantly higher than in a control area. Above the water, monitoring also recorded 33 bird species and three bat species, in addition to the dolphins, rays, orcas and sharks reported in the area.

The picture is not entirely favorable. Teams also detected several invasive species, particularly wakame, an alga. If necessary, eradication could be considered to preserve the ecosystem that has developed around the floats. These findings reflect the wind farm’s monitoring: data on the effects of floating wind power remain limited because the technology is still young.

So what does this mean in practice? A floating wind farm can generate electricity—the equivalent of the annual consumption of 25,000 households for WindFloat Atlantic—while also becoming a marine habitat monitored over time. This does not guarantee the same outcome for every installation, but it gives operators an indicator to track: the life that takes hold, and the unwanted species that may eventually need to be contained.