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RWE and ARC Marine, a specialist in marine nature-inclusive design, are celebrating key milestones in their joint pilot project, Reef Enhancement for Scour Protection (RESP), at the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm. This groundbreaking initiative—co-funded by Innovate UK—is pioneering the use of sustainable reef cubes® as a biodiversity-enhancing alternative to traditional rock-based scour protection. Designed to safeguard offshore wind infrastructure while supporting marine life, the RESP project has made significant strides over the past 18 months.
The project has successfully completed hydrodynamic stability testing at HR Wallingford, secured a marine licence for the deployment of over 75,000 reef cubes®, and finalized all deployment contracts. Baseline ecological surveys have also been conducted to track biodiversity outcomes. A scalable manufacturing process using locally sourced, low-carbon, and recycled materials has been developed. Engineered with rough textures and built-in shelter spaces, the reef cubes®—available in 15cm and 35cm sizes—are designed to attract and protect native species such as European seabass, brown crab, and common starfish, combining infrastructure resilience with ecological restoration. Sven Utermöhlen, CEO RWE Offshore Wind, said : “RESP reflects RWE’s commitment to pioneering nature-positive solutions that support the resilience of our offshore wind assets and the biodiversity of marine ecosystems. We’re proud to partner with ARC marine to advance this innovative solution, which offers a practical and scalable approach to sustainable offshore development.”
Tom Birbeck, Founder & CEO of ARC marine, added: “This pilot is the world’s first full-scale deployment of nature inclusive designed reef cubes, an alternative to imported traditional rock scour protection, which creates valuable new habitats while still addressing engineering needs. We’re thrilled to see RESP move from concept to reality alongside RWE and see reef creation being actively explored during offshore energy construction.”
