Vineyard Wind has partnered with Geoquip Marine to begin geotechnical surveys of the 501 North Federal Lease Area.
The site will be the eventual location of Vineyard Wind 1, an 804 MW project that will provide wind energy to the Massachusetts energy grid. Geoquip’s first engagement with Vineyard in 2018 was for a similar extensive geotechnical scope.
“Getting to this step would have been a milestone under normal circumstances,” says Lars Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind.
“To do so now in light of the current pandemic makes reaching this point all the more significant and rewarding. We look forward to working with Geoquip as we begin to gather the data necessary to get the first large-scale offshore wind project in the U.S. up and running,” he adds.
Using two separate vessels, Geoquip Marine’s geotechnical experts will gather information on the ground conditions for prospective turbine and substation locations, providing necessary data to the project design. The survey work will be done in two phases, with the first slated to begin in late May and the second to begin in late July. Work is expected to finish by September of this year.
The crews are all following enhanced safety precautions to limit any and all exposure to COVID-19, including health and temperature checks prior and during the survey, strict on-boarding procedure, enhanced separation in addition to extensive cleaning and sanitation on each vessel.
Photo: Geoquip’s Saentis docked in New Bedford
