XOcean has completed a survey of the seabed for SSE Renewables at the proposed 1GW Setanta Wind Park site, formerly Braymore Wind Park, off the east coast of Ireland using its fleet of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs).
The survey using multi-beam echo-sounder sensors will be used to characterise the seabed in this area of the Irish Sea.
This will provide the project team with a clearer understanding of conditions on the site, supporting SSE Renewables to deliver Setanta in line with the Irish Government’s 2030 ambitions of 7GW of offshore wind.
The uncrewed vessels used form part of XOcean’s global fleet of 25 USVs, which are remotely operated by a network of qualified mariners and data analysts across the world.
This ensures safe navigation and allows for real-time insights and faster data-processing, it said.
SSE Renewables lead project manager Martin Sweeney said: “We are constantly looking for innovative ways in which we can develop our portfolio of renewable assets.
“XOcean’s vessels will allow us to carry out our work in a more efficient way, and most importantly for SSE Renewables – in the safest, carbon neutral way possible.
“Completing this geophysical survey was a key milestone for Setanta Wind Park ahead of our Maritime Area Consent application which will be submitted to MARA next year.
“Securing this data puts us well on the way to delivering the 1GW Setanta project by 2030, and we’re really interested to see how this sort of work can help improve our industry, accelerate delivery and look forward to working with XOcean in future.”