Fugro has secured a contract by Oriel Windfarm to carry out a detailed geotechnical site investigation for the planned Oriel offshore wind farm off the coast of County Louth in Ireland.
The survey will support the design and installation of foundations for 25 offshore wind turbines at the 375 MW project, which is expected to be among Ireland’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farms. The project is being jointly developed by JERA Nex bp and Irish utility ESB.
Fugro has already begun the winter geotechnical campaign following mobilization of the vessel Fugro Voyager. The site is located in the Irish Sea in an area described as technically demanding, requiring specialized offshore survey operations.
The Fugro Voyager is equipped with Fugro’s SEADEVIL coring system, designed to recover high-quality soil samples in complex offshore environments. The investigation will be conducted in water depths of up to 33 meters and will include cone penetration testing, wireline geophysics and laboratory analysis at Fugro’s facility in Wallingford.
The geo-data collected during the campaign will support foundation design and help reduce installation risks as the project moves toward construction.
“Partnering with Fugro on this geotechnical survey campaign represents an important milestone, enabling us to progress our detailed project design and bringing us closer to realizing the Oriel project and contributing to Ireland’s offshore wind ambitions,” said Garrett Connell, Ireland Country Manager at JERA Nex bp.