Critical considerations in partial decommissioning of offshore wind farms include residual liability and biodiversity trade-offs

#Offshore winds farms are an important component of European renewable energy infrastructure and development. In 2023, offshore wind farms in the EU had a total capacity of over 30 gigawatts (GW), and the EU Strategy on Offshore Renewable Energy has set targets to increase this to 60 GW by 2030 and 300 GW by 2050. The earliest installed wind farms, however, are already coming to the end of their planned 20- to 30-year lifespans. 

Current guidance, such as Article 60(3) of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea[1] and the OSPAR Commission’s Decision 98/3[2], indicates that decommissioning should involve the complete removal of all seabed installations. This is also specified in national law in some territories. 

However, there is ongoing debate over the potential advantages of partial removal, leaving some structures on the seabed. Benefits of partial decommissioning might include reduced costs, preservation of…