The VALMAS team delivered a series of dedicated offshore wind stakeholder workshops last month, bringing together representatives from industry, policy, research and environmental management to help shape the project's fieldwork activities and maximise future impact.

The workshops welcomed participants from organisations including RWE, Ørsted, Marine Energy Wales, The Crown Estate and the ECOCHANGE project, alongside researchers from the University of Aberdeen and Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Discussions focused on how VALMAS can address key evidence gaps relating to biodiversity, blue carbon, fisheries, natural capital and the long-term management of offshore infrastructure.

The response from stakeholders was overwhelmingly positive, with participants highlighting the project's potential to support future offshore wind consenting, environmental assessment and decommissioning decisions. Discussions identified opportunities for VALMAS to contribute evidence to emerging policy conversations around offshore wind decommissioning and the ecological value of marine artificial structures.

The workshops also opened the door to potential collaborations, including access to offshore wind sites, industry datasets, marine growth observations and links to complementary research programmes.

Stakeholders were particularly interested in how VALMAS can generate evidence that helps balance renewable energy development with biodiversity enhancement and ecosystem services. The valuable feedback received will now help refine fieldwork plans, strengthen partnerships and ensure that VALMAS delivers evidence that is relevant to both industry needs and future policy development.

Photo Credit: Jesse De Meulenaere on Unsplash