Fugro has been awarded a geotechnical site investigation contract for BP’s and EnBW’s offshore wind projects in the Irish Sea.
When complete, the Morgan and Mona projects will have a combined generating capacity of 3GW.
Fieldwork will run from May to September 2022, with the site located approximately 30km off the coast of North Wales and North West England in an area known for its severe currents and challenging offshore environment.
Fugro will deploy its Fugro Synergy and the Normand Mermaid vessels to complete geotechnical investigations.
These operations will also include the use of Fugro’s Seacalf Mk V Deepdrive system for seabed cone penetration tests, as well as the Seadevil for vessel-based and seafloor downhole testing.
The use of this equipment will ensure efficient operations and can reduce carbon emissions by up to 40% when compared to traditional inspection methods.
Following the fieldwork, a laboratory testing programme will be delivered by Fugro’s in-house laboratory engineers, allowing all samples to be analysed efficiently for foundation designs.
Dennis Koenen, Fugro’s global director of geo-data acquisition marine site characterisation, said: “With access to in-house foundation experts and state-of-the-art assets, we’re able to deliver high-quality insights as early as possible in the design process.
“With this geo-data, BP and EnBW will be able to effectively guide the planning, design and installation of the Morgan and Mona wind farms – critical assets to achieving sustainability targets and delivering green electricity to the region.”