Metocean surveys starting at Irish large scale offshore wind farm site

Meteorological and oceanographic (metocean) surveys are set to start at a site off Ireland, where a large scale offshore wind farm is proposed to be built.

Over the coming days, a floating LiDAR and two wave buoys will be deployed at the project site located some 10 kilometres off the Irish coast to measure wind and wave conditions and inform the project design.

The metocean devices will be installed within a one-day deployment operation sometime between 9 and 23 June (subject to weather conditions). The floating LiDAR will be collecting data for 18 months, while the wave buoys will stay at the site for a year, according to a Marine Notice from Ireland’s Department of Transport.

Partrac has been contracted to deploy the metocean buoys at the site on the Kish and Bray Banks offshore Dublin and Wiclow County, which could see between 45 and 61 wind turbine being erected as part of the Dublin Array project, being developed by a joint venture of RWE Renewables Ireland and Saorgus Energy.

The total capacity of Dublin Array – one of the projects selected by the Irish government in 2020 to be fast-tracked through the new marine planning regime – is planned to be between 600 MW and 900 MW, with single wind turbine capacity of between 8 MW and 15 MW.

The final decision on the size and number of turbines has not yet been made, since a number of the ongoing surveys will inform this decision. 

Back in 2019, the developers filed a request for a foreshore licence with the Irish government to undertake geophysical, geotechnical, ecological and wind and metocean surveys at the designated site.

Ecological surveys began in June 2019 and at the beginning of this year Fugro started geophysical surveys to characterise the project’s inter-array and export cable search area.

RWE and Saorgus are expected to submit final application to the Irish government once all the necessary surveys have been completed and the project plan is in place.

Subject to an updated consent application and investment decision, construction on Dublin Array could begin in 2024, with commissioning in 2026.