Metocean consultancy Partrac has completed a campaign of meteorological and oceanographic measurements off the north coast of Scotland on behalf of Quaybridge Scotland as part of the wider NextGen consortium.
The nine-month campaign started in October 2020 was completed using a range of instruments to improve understanding of wave and current conditions associated with areas which are being pursued by NextGen.
NextGen has been developing an offshore wind project in the area since 2018 in anticipation of the ScotWind Leasing round.
Data were gathered from five locations, providing an understanding of the unique conditions at the site, early in the development stage of the project.
A total of 12 instruments were deployed within the target area, as well as within potential search areas for the export cable route.
NextGen project manager Joe Phillips said: “Gathering data early in the project development process is central to our philosophy.
“It enables us to understand the DNA of the site right from the start, allowing us to get on with design and engineering, accelerating the development process.
“This is only possible if we can work with capable, innovative and flexible partners such as Partrac.”
Partrac operations director Pete Wilson said: “Partrac have designed and implemented a robust metocean campaign, tailored to meet the engineering design requirements of NextGen.
“The metocean measurement sites were each in exposed locations, providing many challenges on equipment, vessels, and operational logistics.
“Our experienced team and technical knowhow have successfully delivered high quality and valuable data from the locations, and this in turn will support the success of NextGen’s developments.”