SSE Restarts Arklow Bank Geotechnical Survey Tender

SSE has re-issued a contract notice for offshore and nearshore geotechnical survey works at the Arklow Bank offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea.

The original tender, issued in May, was reportedly cancelled due to challenging weather conditions.

The new EUR 3.5 million contract package is smaller compared to the previous one and includes ten boreholes and 30 cone penetration tests located on as yet undefined locations across the Arklow development area, and associated in-situ, and geotechnical laboratory testing and factual reporting.

Interested parties have a 30-day window to respond to this notice. This notice period is required to allow for the evaluation of tenders, the appointment of a contractor, assembly of works documentation, mobilisation and completion of the works by the end of the workable weather window, end of October 2019.

SSE is the co-developer of Ireland’s first and only operational offshore wind farm – the 7-turbine 25MW Arklow Bank Phase 1. The wind farm was delivered with GE Energy in 2004 as a demonstrator project to prove the opportunity that offshore wind energy could represent for Ireland.

SSE is moving forward with plans to fully develop the wind farm and invest over EUR 1 billion in the project which is to have a minimum of 520MW of capacity.