Fugro starts Vattenfall site investigations at two UK offshore wind farms

Fugro has begun a four-month marine site characterisation campaign for Swedish energy group Vattenfall at two major offshore wind development sites located over 40 km off the coast of Norfolk, UK.

The resulting Geo-data from Fugro’s geotechnical investigations will feed into the ground model for the Norfolk Vanguard and Norfolk Boreas wind farms, which will have a total installed capacity of 3.6 GW, enough to power more than 3.9 million homes.

Working from its dynamically positioned (DP2) geotechnical drill ship Fugro Scout, Fugro is performing surveys and sampling using its proprietary SEACALF^® Mk V DeepDrive cone penetration testing system at both sites, and will carry out testing both in situ and at the company’s world-class soils laboratories in Wallingford, UK, and Nootdorp in the Netherlands.

The site characterisation work is split across two projects: the first will help Vattenfall optimise the wind turbine foundation engineering design; the second will assist Vattenfall in selecting the most efficient cable route from the onshore substation to the turbines.

Rob Anderson, Project Director of Vattenfall UK’s Norfolk Vanguard and Norfolk Boreas Projects, said:

“The Norfolk Vanguard and Norfolk Boreas projects are huge and complicated infrastructure projects requiring long-term planning and support from specialist service providers during their development and beyond. We are pleased to partner with Fugro on these important site investigation projects, who we can rely on to provide the necessary Geo-data for the next phase of engineering and procurement.”   

John ten Hoope, Fugro’s Marine Site Characterisation Director for Europe and Africa, said:

“We have been a trusted partner of Vattenfall in Europe for many years. These latest offshore wind contracts have further strengthened our working relationship, which is based not only on Fugro consistently delivering technical excellence but also on shared company values to create a safe and liveable world.”

Click here to watch a short video of Fugro’s integrated solution for developing offshore wind farms.

About Fugro:

Fugro is the world’s leading, independent provider of geo-intelligence and asset integrity solutions. Fugro acquires and analyses data on topography and the subsurface, soil composition, meteorological and environmental conditions, and provides related advice. With its geo-intelligence and asset integrity solutions Fugro supports the safe, efficient and sustainable development and operation of buildings, industrial facilities and infrastructure and the exploration and development of natural resources. Fugro works around the globe, predominantly in energy and infrastructure markets offshore and onshore, employing approximately 10,500 people in around 60 countries. In 2016, revenue amounted to EUR 1.8 billion. The company is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. w: www.fugro.com