Fugro wraps up surveys for RWE’s Dogger Bank South

Fugro has finished fieldwork on a geophysical, geotechnical, and environmental site investigation contract for RWE Renewables’ Dogger Bank South (DBS) offshore wind farm and export cable routes.

The array area covers approximately 1,000 square kilometres with over 100 kilometres of proposed export cable routes, resulting in a total survey scope exceeding 20,000 kilometres of survey lines.

Fugro mobilised multiple vessels, such as Fugro Frontier and Fugro Searcher among others, to complete full coverage surveys.

This included seabed cone penetration tests (CPTs), sampling boreholes, multibeam echosounder surveys, and what the company said was the largest 2D ultra high-resolution seismic (UHRS) survey to be completed on a single project.

Additionally, Fugro’s environmental surveys consisted of grab sampling, epibenthic trawling, and drop-down videos.

According to Fugro, the acquired Geo-data will be used to understand the site’s subsurface conditions, advise on geohazard risk mitigation, and identify a safe route for export cables.

“With an understanding of the seafloor and sub-surface conditions, geohazards and environmental constraints, RWE will be able to make informed decisions on their wind farm foundation designs, whilst also reducing installation risks and ensuring the most efficient cable routes”, said Peter Aarts, Fugro’s Marine Geophysical Director Europe and Africa.

Fugro secured contracts for Dogger Bank South projects in the first quarter of this year.

Located more than 110 kilometres off the east coast of Yorkshire, England in the North Sea, DBS has the potential to generate renewable electricity for up to 3.4 million UK homes per year.

RWE received approval from the UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to enter into an Agreement for Lease with the Crown Estate in July, after the UK seabed manager greenlighted six more projects under the Round 4 leasing round.

The developer aims to submit an application for development consent to the UK Planning Inspectorate in 2024.

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