RWE Renewables has appointed global marine consultancy ABPmer to support the design of the up to 1100MW Awel y Mor offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea off Wales.
ABPmer is assessing the sediment mobility and scour potential at the wind farm site off the north Wales coast.
The work will be used to help support export cable route selection, as well as inform the ongoing wind turbine foundation and array/export cable design process.
ABPmer will analyse oceanographic data from its Seastates metocean database, recent and historic seabed surveys, and geophysical data specifically collected for the project, to map the behavioural characteristics of the seabed across the wind farm site and export cable corridor.
High resolution hydrodynamic and sediment transport modelling are also being used to map the detail of long-term regional scale sediment transport pathways.
ABPmer project director Heidi Roberts said: “Building on our local knowledge from Awel y Mor and adjacent windfarms along with OWF expertise around the UK, our specialists are completing detailed statistical analysis, modelling and interpretation of oceanographic and geophysical data.
“Our seabed mobility risk mapping tools are helping RWE understand present and future bedform migration, providing vital information in support of the cable route selection and design.”
GIS analysis of coastal data will also be undertaken to consider the potential for coastal erosion and vertical change in beach levels at the landfall over the project lifetime, supporting the landfall selection and design process.
Detailed design will continue through 2022, with the wind farm targeting 2030 to be fully operational.