Fugro to investigate Hornsea Three and Four offshore wind sites

Fugro has won a contract by Ørsted to carry out geotechnical site investigations at the Hornsea Three and Hornsea Four offshore wind projects in the UK.

The site investigations will include downhole cone penetration testing (CPT), seismic cone penetration testing (SCPT), downhole sampling and high-quality rock coring, as well as borehole geophysical logging.

Fugro will mobilize multiple vessels from its fleet to work on the “challenging ground conditions”, with the activities set to run from May to August.

This is expected to enable reliable and efficient foundation designs, as well as help derisk the future developmental phases of the projects.

“Our site investigation services are crucial for ensuring the long-term performance of offshore assets, such as the Hornsea Project,” said Dennis Koenen, Fugro’s global director for geo-data acquisition marine site characterisation.

“With an array of specialised vessels and equipment, we are committed to supporting the UK’s energy transition and we’re proud to continue working with Ørsted, building on our past success, to provide critical support that will help move this project forward.”

Ørsted acquired the rights to develop the Hornsea zone, comprising four projects, in 2015 from SMart Wind, which originally secured the development rights in the UK Round 3 offshore wind auction.

The Danish company has already put into operation the 1.2 GW Hornsea One offshore wind farm, while the 1.32 GW Hornsea Two is currently under construction with full commissioning expected this year.

The UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) gave the development consent to the 2.4 GW Hornsea Three on 31 December 2020.

The Development Consent Order (DCO) application for Hornsea Four was submitted to the UK Planning Inspectorate in October last year and the project is currently going through the planning process.

Fugro has been involved in the development of the Hornsea project sites since 2011, completing a range of geophysical, geotechnical and environmental services.