First Galloper OWF Foundation Touches Seabed

GeoSea has installed the first of fifty six turbine foundations at the 336MW Galloper offshore wind farm.

The foundations will provide a base for the 6MW Siemens wind turbines due to be installed from Q2 2017.

GeoSea has sub contracted Sif Group and Smulders to produce the monopiles and transition pieces.

The components are being loaded-out onto the GeoSea installation vessel, Innovation, in Rotterdam and Vlissingen with the installation phase planned to be complete by early summer next year.

Each of the foundation will be around 85m in length and 7.5m in diameter, and weigh around up to 1200 tonne. Tideway, part of Deme group, is carrying out the scour protection works for the foundations, with the programme of works, well underway.

Project director, Toby Edmonds, said: “It has been a tremendously exciting twelve months for the Galloper project, with a huge amount of progress both in terms of the onshore infrastructure and the offshore preparatory works. It is fantastic to have commenced turbine foundation installation, another major milestone for the project. From here-on-in, we will begin to see the offshore components of this nationally significant renewable energy project, really take shape.”

Galloper OWF is an extension of the existing and fully operational Greater Gabbard wind farm and represents an expected investment potential of around £1.5 billion. innogy SE is leading the development and construction of the project on behalf of its partners who also include the UK Green Investment Bank, Siemens Financial Services and Macquarie Capital.