The Irish Government has awarded an almost €3m grant in support of a new construction method for offshore wind foundations and anchors.
The project, involving drilling specialist Mincon Group and Subsea Micropiles, will include the development of a new robotic seabed drilling system along with the installation and testing of marine anchors using micropile technology.
Initial tests will take place by mid-2022.
The technology has the potential to benefit the offshore wind industry by “substantially lowering costs and reducing the environmental impact on the ocean environment”, said Mincon.
Subsea Micropiles is adapting terrestrial micropiling technology to the offshore construction sector, which is a proven low-noise and low-impact approach to soil interventions.
Recent advances in underwater robotics now opens the door for low-cost micropiling to be used in offshore piling and anchoring.
Mincon Group chief executive Joe Purcell said: “At Mincon, we already focus on making the world’s most energy-efficient drilling solutions, lowering both fuel usage and the impact on the environment.
“We are delighted to lead this effort with Subsea Micropiles and two prestigious Irish universities, with an aim to use our extensive engineering expertise to develop an innovative solution that will disrupt the renewable energy industry and benefit the wider offshore sector.”
The prototype demonstration represents a key development milestone towards a full solution and service capability ready for commercial projects by 2023, Mincon said.
University of Limerick and University College of Dublin are academic partners on the project.