IROE researcher Dr Hugo Putuhena wins major grant to develop decision support tools for spatial planning and cumulative effects assessment of offshore wind in the Greater North Sea Basin

Dr Hugo Putuhena has been awarded 8.3 million DKK (970,300 GBP) from the VELUX FOUNDATION to lead a major research project to develop, Decision Support Tools for Spatial Planning and Cumulative Effects Assessment of Offshore Wind in the Greater North Sea.

The four‑year programme (January 2026–December 2029) will generate vital new knowledge about how offshore wind interacts with other human activities and the marine environment. As offshore wind expands at unprecedented speed, decision‑makers increasingly need tools that help balance energy development with fishing, shipping, biodiversity, and coastal community interests. This project aims to provide exactly that.

Working alongside Hugo is a strong interdisciplinary team of co‑investigators from across the University of Southampton with expertise in spatial analysis, engineering, marine ecology, human geography and archaeology.

The team will assess how offshore wind development affects other marine activities, the seabed, and wider ecosystems, while developing new tools that can help governments and industry plan responsibly. The project will bring together existing data, apply artificial intelligence to fill key evidence gaps, and produce new digital maps, models, and an open decision support tool to guide future ocean planning across the Greater North Sea.

"With the project, we will conduct a thorough assessment of how offshore wind impacts other human activities, the seabed and ecosystems” says Hugo. “The goal is to gain a deeper understanding of the overall consequences. At the same time, we will develop new decision support tools that provide unprecedented insights into the cumulative effects of offshore wind development in the North Sea,"

Learn more about the wider programme via the VELUX FOUNDATION announcement .