Renewable energy consultancy Natural Power has recently been selected to participate in the €5 million Horizon Europe project COMPASS, which aims to enhance the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of European offshore wind farms through the development of an integrated platform.

The COMPASS project, launched in November 2025, is a four-year initiative that will build an open-source decision-support platform. This platform will integrate environmental, economic, and social models, applying lifecycle approaches and digital twin technologies. It will illustrate the interactions between offshore wind farms and marine ecosystems, supporting more transparent and science-based decision-making.

The platform combines Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC), as well as ecosystem metabolic models and service assessments. It covers both fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind technologies and is applicable to multiple European sea basins. The project's goal is to generate clear sustainability metrics and practical recommendations to aid design decisions and tender evaluations.

To ensure industry adoption, the platform's development will involve collaboration with an end-user group comprising offshore wind developers, environmental consultancies, and policymakers. Leveraging its experience in offshore renewable energy and environmental assessments, Natural Power will help ensure the platform's practical value for industry stakeholders.

Marie Montus, Head of Consulting & Environment at Natural Power France, stated: "We are delighted to collaborate on the COMPASS project and contribute our expertise in environmental impact assessment and ecological modeling to advance sustainable offshore wind development. This is a significant step towards a more integrated and transparent approach to offshore wind planning in Europe."

The COMPASS project is coordinated by France Energies Marines, with RWTH Aachen University serving as the scientific co-coordinator. The consortium includes academic institutions, research organizations, and industrial partners. In the coming months, the project will establish communication channels, with a website planned to launch in April 2026 to share regular progress updates.