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Site investigation campaign underway in the Irish Sea
Fugro has begun a detailed geotechnical site investigation for the planned Oriel offshore wind farm, a 375 MW project located off the coast of County Louth in the Irish Sea. The contract was awarded by Oriel Windfarm Ltd, a joint development by JERA Nex bp and Irish utility ESB, as the project advances toward construction.
The survey will provide the seabed data required to design and install foundations for 25 offshore wind turbines. Early geotechnical data often determines whether installation proceeds smoothly or faces costly delays later in the project timeline.
Fugro has mobilised its vessel Fugro Voyager to carry out the winter investigation campaign in water depths reaching up to 33 metres. The location is considered technically challenging, requiring careful planning and experienced offshore operations to obtain reliable seabed data.
High quality seabed data supports foundation design
The vessel is equipped with Fugro’s SEADEVIL coring system, which is designed to recover undisturbed soil samples in complex offshore environments. The investigation programme includes cone penetration testing, wireline geophysics and laboratory analysis carried out at Fugro’s Wallingford facility.
The resulting Geo data will help engineers understand the ground conditions beneath the wind farm site. That knowledge plays a critical role in selecting foundation types and reducing installation risks for offshore construction contractors.
Garrett Connell, Ireland Country Manager at JERA Nex bp, said the geotechnical survey marks an important step in the development of the project and will support the detailed design phase.
Remmelt de Jong, Regional Business Line Director for Marine Site Characterisation in Europe and Africa at Fugro, noted that early access to reliable ground data helps developers make informed decisions that support the long term performance of offshore wind infrastructure.
The Oriel project is expected to be among Ireland’s first commercial scale offshore wind farms, supporting the country’s push to expand renewable energy generation.
