Ilmatar Offshore has contracted OWC to conduct a conceptual, technical design for two offshore wind projects north of Åland, Finland.
Head of maritime spatial planning at Ilmatar Offshore Stefan Husa said: “Based on our geophysical surveys, we will now get a clearer picture of how the turbines can be positioned and what types of foundations may be suitable.”
During autumn 2022, seabed surveys were performed on Ilmatar Offshore’s project areas Stormskär and Väderskär north of the Åland Islands, totalling approximately 570 square kilometres.
UK-based OWC has now been contracted to develop a conceptual design for these sites.
Husa added: “OWC has extensive experience in successfully completing offshore wind projects in Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
“They have a strong team of specialists and all the expertise required to produce the technical base for our environmental impact assessment.”
Ilmatar Offshore’s geophysical surveys show the areas have highly variable depth conditions and a mix of hard and soft bottom sediments.
Based on this data, OWC will investigate where the turbines can be placed and what types of foundations are suitable in which locations.
The study also includes a variety of other criteria that influence the final layout of the wind farm, including wind conditions, ice conditions, turbine size selection, and hub height.
Possible cable routes inside and outside the project area are identified, as well as criteria for port operations, potential ports, and logistics solutions for the different stages of the wind farms, such as the construction and operational phases.
OWC’s final report will be delivered before the summer and form the basis for further studies in the environmental assessment process.