The Oriel offshore wind farm has successfully concluded a month-long geotechnical survey campaign during March. It was performed by Geoquip AS, an offshore contractor headquartered in Switzerland.
Located approximately 22 km off the coast of Dundalk, Ireland, the wind farm represents a significant investment from both ESB and Parkwind.
This work complements last year’s geophysical survey campaign completed during August 2019 by Irish company Alpha Marine. The data collected during these surveys is essential, as it not only contributes to the foundation design but also to the future wind farm layout.
“Lead developer Parkwind and its partner ESB continue to invest in these crucial surveys to be in a position to deliver on the timing for offshore wind put forward by the Irish government in its Climate Action Plan and leading up to the RESS auction scheduled for 2021,” says Peter Caluwaerts, project director at Parkwind.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis in the midst of the geotechnical campaign led to the implementation of strict additional safety measures onboard to ensure operations were executed in a safe manner. This included the requirement for the drilling ship to stay offshore for the duration of the campaign.
“We would like to thank the fishing communities in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland for their constructive attitude and collaboration throughout the duration of these activities,” says Garrett Connell, project manager.
“Their support has helped us complete this crucial project step, enabling us to continue the project design phase, and we are fully committed to continue our collaboration and build on this positive engagement as we move the project forward,” he adds.
Photo: Geoquip’s Saentis survey vessel
