Swiss offshore contractor Geoquip has concluded a geotechnical survey for the Oriel offshore wind project being developed off the Irish coast of Dundalk by Parkwind and ESB.
The month-long campaign completed at the end of March, onboard the Saentis vessel.
Irish contractor Alpha Marine completed the geophysical work for the site in August 2019.
Data collected during the surveys will inform the foundation design for Oriel and wind farm layout.
Parkwind project director Peter Caluwaerts said: “Lead developer Parkwind and its partner ESB continue to invest in these crucial surveys to be in a position to deliver on the timing for offshore wind put forward by the Irish government in its Climate Action Plan and leading up to the RESS auction scheduled for 2021.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Geoquip’s geotechnical campaign had to implement “strict additional safety measures” on board to ensure operations were executed in a safe manner.
This included ensuring the drilling ship remained offshore for the duration of the campaign.
“We would like to thank the fishing communities in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland for their constructive attitude and collaboration throughout the duration of these activities,” said project manager Garrett Connell.
“Their support has helped us complete this crucial project step enabling us to continue the project design phase and we are fully committed to continue our collaboration and build on this positive engagement as we move the project forward,” he added.