SeaRoc has completed the installation of an offshore research and anemometry platform for the proposed 100 MW Blyth offshore wind demonstration project, to be located three nautical miles off the coast of Blyth, Northumberland, U.K.
The platform will measure the wind resource, observe marine conditions and collect marine-life data at the site. At a height of 103 meters above sea level, the meteorological mast will assess the conditions at the proposed demonstration site for turbines up to 8 MW, SeaRoc explains.
The platform has been designed for a 22-year life, and it was installed on a tripod structure in water depths of 37 meters. In addition to providing a benchmark for tenants to monitor the performance of turbines on the Blyth site, the platform provides an open-access research facility to trial new technologies and processes intended to reduce the time scales and costs of the consenting process for offshore wind.
The contract for the installation of the anemometry platform was awarded to SeaRoc earlier this year. The U.K.'s National Renewable Energy Centre submitted an application to the Marine Management Organisation in March for consent for the proposed 100 MW Blyth offshore wind demonstration site, and a decision is expected within 12 months. A competitive tendering process is also under way to select tenants for the proposed three arrays to demonstrate turbines with a blade-tip height of up to 195 meters.
