Software solutions company Sennen is working with Orsted to pilot a digital system at the developer’s 132MW South Fork project in the US.
Based on Sennen’s existing technology, the new system will help Orsted plan and deliver the construction of New York’s first offshore wind farm.
The system will help Orsted deploy teams performing different construction phase tasks simultaneously without risk of interfering with each other’s activities. This is a particular issue for on-site multi-contractor management.
Without an automated system, interruption to work can happen, resulting in wasted resources and delays.
With this new tool, Orsted will have full sight of contractor movements, enabling them to plan and allocate construction activity easily, efficiently and safely.
The development of Sennen’s new construction tool has received £112,000 grant funding from the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) which supports high growth companies in the UK supply chain.
Gaby Amiel, co-founder and chief executive of Sennen, said: “The rapid expansion of the offshore wind industry needs to be supported by intelligent digital systems that will enable growth to happen as quickly and safely as possible. That is what we specialise in at Sennen and we’re excited to be developing our offer so that we can support operators during the entire lifecycle of a wind farm – from construction and beyond.
“We need companies like Orsted to test new ideas and ways of working so that the industry can continue to innovate and grow. We’re delighted that they have chosen us for this project. It allows us to test and develop this new software on a real wind farm, which will offer invaluable learning.”
David Bould, Head of UK and IE Ventures and Open Innovation at Orsted, said: “The work with Sennen is a great example of how Orsted collaborates with innovative companies in our UK and Ireland supply chain to the benefit of both organisations.
“By using Sennen’s technology on one of our live construction projects, we get a valuable, early opportunity to further improve our construction activities – reducing cost and risk.
“We’ll continue to work with Sennen on development of their product and help secure their route to market, both in the UK and Ireland and across our global portfolio, building on previous support from the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership.”