Innogy has begun the last phase of a six-month pre-construction site investigation for its 1400MW Sofia offshore wind project at Dogger Bank in the UK North Sea.
Geodata specialist Fugro is using jack-up vessel Haven Seariser 2 to complete a month-long campaign of nearshore borehole surveys off the coast of Redcar, Teesside.
Innogy said the data gathered will help it settle on a final design and installation methodology for the main transmission cable where it reaches landfall.
“A technique called horizontal directional drilling is likely to be used to install the cable underneath the inter-tidal area and the beach, and these surveys will help us refine that planned methodology,” said Sofia’s principal geotechnical engineer Andy Barwise.
The jack-up will be working at the project until July and will be towed between each borehole location, Innogy said.
The power generated by the Sofia offshore wind farm will be carried by a 220 kilometre-long electricity export cable from the offshore converter platform to shore, where it will hit landfall between Redcar and Marske-by-the-Sea.
Onshore cables will transport the power to a new converter station to be built near the village of Lazenby, adjacent to the Wilton Complex.
Onshore construction work at the project will get underway in early 2021.