The 12th International Conference on Scour and Erosion (ICSE 2025)

Offshore wind energy infrastructures require effective and sustainable scour protection to ensure monopile stability and minimize environmental impact. Traditional systems, though hydraulically stable, lack ecological integration. Nature-Inclusive Scour Protection Systems (NISPS) address this gap by combining structural integrity with biodiversity promotion. This study evaluates the performance of a specific NISPS from ECOncrete, called Droplock, through physical modelling at a Froude scale of 1:30. Experimental testing was conducted at the Coastal & Ocean Basin (COB) in Belgium and in a first stage at ECOREL in Spain. Tests included cumulative and non-cumulative wave loading on soft and hard seabed, with configurations with 0%, 30%, and 50% of the units being alternatively sized, mixed with normal-sized Droplock units. Results demonstrate the feasibility of application of the tested NISPS around a monopile.