Environmental group Greenrock has enlisted a UK engineering company to help it conduct feasibility studies the charity says are “instrumental in progressing an offshore wind project in Bermuda“.

Greenrock commissioned BVG Associates which has more than a decade’s worth of expertise in offshore wind.

Working with the company, Greenrock has identified a series of studies and reports to be conducted including a review of work carried out to date in this area locally with a comparison with offshore wind industry practice. This study has already been completed and is available via www.greenrock.org

The charity said a detailed cost of energy assessment must also be carried out in order to determine the range of costs for electricity that could be delivered by an offshore wind facility.

A spokesman for Greenrock said: “These studies will help to determine if offshore wind is technically and commercially feasible for Bermuda, how much electricity from offshore wind is likely to cost and, assuming it is feasible, they will also outline how Bermuda can deploy offshore wind in line with industry good practice.”

The spokesman said: “Bermuda’s greenhouse gas emissions need to reduce 60 per cent by 2030 to align with international efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees centigrade.

“If warming exceeds this level, the risks of ocean acidification along with several other environmental threats to the island can increase significantly.

“It is also important to acknowledge the fact that there are communities surrounding our existing electricity generating power plant that continue to endure health, property and environmental challenges due to their proximity to fossil fuel smokestacks.

“Addressing this should be a matter of national interest and attempts to find solutions should be pursued with urgency.

“In light of these realities, Greenrock is working hard to produce the data and research required to accelerate the deployment of affordable renewable energy.

“Of the various renewable technologies available to Bermuda, offshore wind and solar have consistently been identified as the most mature renewable energy technologies that are suitable to achieve this goal.

“Greenrock welcomes the progress that has been made to date by the Bermuda Government and the Regulatory Authority, in considering offshore wind as a key potential element of a sustainable, low carbon energy system for Bermuda. We now seek to build on this work and accelerate progress.”

Anyone interested in learning more about the initiative can attend an open forum being held at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute on Friday, July 22 from 12pm to 2pm.

The session will feature Chris Worboys, Greenrock’s director of strategy, and representatives from BVG Associates.

The spokesman said: “The goal of the forum is to discuss the data from the study that has been completed, present initial results from the second study exploring the cost of energy from offshore wind, answer questions about the project, explain how this research initiative can be used to accelerate renewable energy deployment in Bermuda, and share information about the funding required to complete the studies that have been planned in a timely fashion.”

He said that the work being done was made possible thanks to the efforts of Greenrock’s active members, private contributions from the community and donations from sponsors in the private sector.

He added: “Sponsorship opportunities are now available for the remaining reports and studies. This will help provide the continued financial support required to complete this work.”