World-First Reef Cube Project Boosts Marine Life at Rampion Wind Farm

RWE and ARC Marine are celebrating the success of their joint pilot project, Reef Enhancement for Scour Protection (RESP), at the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm. Co-funded by Innovate UK, RESP aims to replace traditional rock scour protection with eco-engineered reef cubes that both safeguard turbine foundations and enhance marine biodiversity.

Over 18 months, the project has achieved major milestones, including hydrodynamic stability testing, ecological baseline surveys, a marine licence for deploying over 75,000 reef cubes off the Sussex coast, and the development of a scalable manufacturing process using low-carbon, recycled materials.

Designed by ARC Marine, the 15cm and 35cm reef cubes feature rough surfaces and built-in shelter spaces to support local species such as European seabass, common starfish, and brown crab. The solution promotes vibrant marine ecosystems while addressing offshore engineering needs.

RESP is the world’s first full-scale deployment of reef cubes, marking a step toward nature-inclusive design (NID) in offshore energy. The data gathered will inform future sustainable offshore developments.

Executives from RWE and ARC Marine emphasized the importance of RESP in combining engineering resilience with biodiversity enhancement, making it a scalable, practical model for nature-positive offshore infrastructure.