Fugro has been awarded a contract to carry out a metocean survey for the 100MW Salamander floating offshore wind project off the east coast of Scotland.
Salamander, a joint venture between Orsted, Simply Blue Group and Subsea 7, has appointed Fugro to start conducting the comprehensive survey in September, which will run for around 12 months.
The study will gather essential meteorological, oceanographic and environmental data to inform the project’s design, operations, and maintenance strategy, as well as support the planning application process.
To facilitate the survey, two floating Seawatch Wind Lidar Buoys and a Wavescan buoy will be deployed to measure wave height, wind and current speed plus other region-specific metrics, enabling a comprehensive assessment of the site’s characteristics and seasonal conditions.
The analysis forms part of a series of surveys to be conducted by Salamander before starting the Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitat Regulations Assessment.
The project team aims to submit the necessary consent applications by early 2024.
Salamander project director for Huw Bell said: “As a pioneering floating offshore wind project, there are technical factors which must be key considerations as we begin to develop the Salamander site.
“It’s crucial that we understand the influence of the environmental conditions our turbines will be required to operate under.
“The metocean survey conducted by Fugro will not only be an asset in terms of deciding our wind farm design, but also any future operations and maintenance schedule.”
The Salamander offshore wind farm project is located 35km off the coast of Peterhead.