Balmoral has launched its HexDefence designed to significantly mitigate jacket foundation scouring around fixed wind turbines.
Building upon the success of the product development work used for monopile structures, which integrated seabed protection and flow reduction to minimise operational costs and prevent cable failure, Balmoral’s latest innovation specifically targets jacket turbine foundations.
The HexDefence jacket system aims to eliminate or dramatically reduce the need for traditional and resource-intensive scour protection methods, such as rock dumping.
Balmoral said other additional benefits include being installed at quayside, eliminating the requirement for additional installation vessels and ensuring the scour protection is active from point of foundation installation.
Product R&D manager at Balmoral Aneel Gill said: “The jacket version of HexDefence represents a significant step forward for scour protection, offering highly cost-effective performance enhancement across installation, management, and maintenance.
“This proprietary system eliminates the requirement to dump rock, providing a non-invasive approach to protecting the jacket foundation and the immediate surrounding area.”
One of the key advantages of HexDefence is its potential to revive abandoned projects and locations deemed unviable due to the sheer amount and size of rock required for scour protection, Balmoral said.
The latest analysis indicates this solution could render expensive and carbon-intensive practices obsolete, making previously financially unfeasible projects viable again, it added.
Managing director of Balmoral Bill Main added: “As part of our commitment to the local communities in which we work, HexDefence will be produced close to development sites.
“This strategic choice not only increases local content but also contributes to the overall sustainability of offshore wind projects by reducing environmental impact.”