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Paris, March 22, 2024 – Convinced of the need to take positive action to preserve the marine environment, Equinor, EDF Renouvelables and TotalEnergies have decided to join forces to support the development of this promising new solution by signing a Joint Industrial Partnership (JIP).
For the past 6 years, the French company GREENOV has been developing the SubSea Quieter®, an underwater noise mitigation system designed to help coastal and offshore marine contractors reduce their impact on underwater ecosystems. The development of the SubSea Quieter® is supported by two European programs (LIFE, EIC Accelerator) and by the French organization ADEME (concours i-NOV).
Reducing underwater noise: a priority for protecting our oceans!
Underwater noise travels 4 times faster than air, and much further. That's why most marine species use sound to find their bearings, to find preys, and to communicate over long distances.
The SubSea Quieter® system is an underwater noise mitigation system based on a multi-layer membrane into which a fine layer of air is injected to create a barrier to sound waves. The system aims to reduce underwater noise generated by pile-driving operations and also helps limit the spread of turbidity during the works.
Particular innovative, this system aims to provide acoustic reduction performance – between 10 and 35 decibels depending on frequencies - independent of water depth and within a wide range of water currents, thanks to a modular architecture made possible by its panel construction. For information, a decrease of 3dB, it means that the intensity or power of the sound has halved.
This ability is made possible by the air-inflatable membrane technology, which traps injected air for the duration of the work, and by an air management system capable of distributing autonomously the right amount of air to each membrane panel according to its position in the water column according to the local pressure.
Representation of the SubSea Quieter®
A JIP to accelerate system development and provide a solution for future wind farms
The three developers have decided to support the development of this innovative solution which will further reduce underwater noise during the construction phase of their offshore wind farms.
This commitment demonstrates that the SubSea Quieter® is promising and may surpass the performance of current noise mitigation systems, while supporting ease of installation and reduced cost.
The commitment of Equinor, EDF Renouvelables and TotalEnergies takes several forms:
- Technical expertise, in particular to provide concrete data on the characteristics of future wind farms.
- Close monitoring of every stage in the system's development.
- Financial support for a start-up developing a promising solution.
For EDF Renouvelables and its partners this support is in line with commitment and actions already undertaken through several sponsor projects: Eoliennes en Mer de Dunkerque and Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Project.
For TotalEnergies, this initiative is part of a general process of continuous improvement in favor of the ocean health and marine biodiversity. The company is a key player in the transition to a more sustainable Blue Economy.
For Equinor, the strategy is to have a holistic approach to how Equinor develops wind farms and to provide positive contributions to nature and society. This solution can hopefully have a positive impact on marine life.
A first prototype soon to be tested in Saint Nazaire
The support of these 3 developers has already enabled Greenov to produce a first prototype. Entirely designed and manufactured by a network of partners in France and in Europe, this first prototype is 10m high, 5m in diameter and weighs 25 tons. It is equipped with membrane panels held in place by two metal structures: a top structure equipped with powerful winches and the piping network, and a low structure that functions like a basket into which the membrane is folded before being deployed to the seabed.
This first prototype is a one-fifth scale model of the final system for big offshore monopiles.
The first images of the SubSea Quieter® prototype to be tested in March 2024 in Saint-Viaud (France)
The prototype deployed under controlled maritime conditions in the port of Nantes Saint-Nazaire (France).
The results of these initial tests will be announced at the Seanergy offshore trade show in June 2024. This new system is in line with the agenda of the next United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), to be held in Nice in June 2025.
This partnership will enable Greenov to accelerate the development of its system so that it can be offered for the future wind farms of the three developers. Greenov aims to have the system ready by 2026.
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About the 4 partners
About Greenov
Greenov is is a French company with a mission created in 2021, whose aim is to innovate to protect marine ecosystems from anthropogenic activities. Based in Nantes and Vannes, the company works in 3 main areas: reducing underwater and aerial noise pollution, reducing ship collisions with large cetaceans, and preventive, non-polluting bio-fouling control. The SubSea Quieter® system has won several awards in France (Prix Décibels d'or 2024, selected as one of the 30 start-ups in the first French Blue Tech Index in 2023, Prix port du futur 2022, Prix Du Ministère de la Transition écologique, Prix Solar Impulse, etc.), as well as the AMBA Global Start-up of the Year 2022 award and the prestigious EIC Accelerator program for European SMEs.
About TotalEnergies
TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, more sustainable, more reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in nearly 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people.
About Equinor
Equinor is an international energy company headquartered in Norway. With 22,000 employees in nearly 30 countries, the company aims to be a leading company in the energy transition. For 50 years, the company has been meeting the challenges of the North Sea, making it Europe's largest energy supplier and a pioneer in renewable energies and low-carbon solutions.
About EDF Renewables
EDF Renewables is an international energy company which develops, builds and operates renewable power generation plants. As a major player in the energy transition worldwide, EDF Renewables deploys, within EDF, competitive, responsible and value-creating projects. In every country, our teams show their commitment to local stakeholders every day, adding their expertise and capacity for innovation to the fight against climate change. At the end of 2023, EDF Renewables operates a net installed wind and solar capacity of 12.8 GW (21.2 GW gross) worldwide.
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The terms “TotalEnergies”, “TotalEnergies company” or “Company” in this document are used to designate TotalEnergies SE and the consolidated entities that are directly or indirectly controlled by TotalEnergies SE. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” may also be used to refer to these entities or to their employees. The entities in which TotalEnergies SE directly or indirectly owns a shareholding are separate legal entities. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TotalEnergies SE nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Information concerning risk factors, that may affect TotalEnergies’ financial results or activities is provided in the most recent Universal Registration Document, the French-language version of which is filed by TotalEnergies SE with the French securities regulator Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), and in the Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)