Dutch offshore survey specialist Fugro has secured a contract with RWE to carry out geophysical exploratory works at Five Estuaries offshore wind farm, the extension project of the existing 353MW Galloper wind farm.
Works are expected to take place in the Southern North Sea from August to November 2021.
Three dedicated vessels will map the characteristics of the seabed and bedrock to assess the conditions around the wind farm site and the potential cable locations.
The seafloor and geophysical information that result from the geophysical surveys will help inform the project design and consenting activities. The data will provide critical information about the seafloor, habitat, local geological and benthic ecological conditions, RWE said.
Fugro has also been commissioned to carry out offshore site investigation and Geophysical works for other RWE projects including Dublin Array, Ireland, and North Falls which is a 50:50 partnership project with SSE, in the southern North Sea.
" [The Fugro contract ] follows a successful working relationship in the investigations for Sofia and Awel y Môr offshore wind farms and a competitive tendering process," RWE said Wednesday.
The Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm is currently at a relatively early stage of development and it is anticipated that the project if approved, will become operational around 2030.
The project partners are the same as the operational Galloper Wind Farm and include a Macquarie-led consortium (25%), RWE (25%), Siemens’ financing arm, Siemens Financial Services (25%), ESB (12.5%), and Sumitomo Corporation (12.5%). RWE is leading the development of the project.