Fugro has been awarded a marine site investigation contract by Vattenfall for the Norfolk Boreas offshore windfarm
The 1.4-GW windfarm forms part of Vattenfall’s Norfolk Zone. The contract for the site investigation follows a four-month marine site characterisation campaign in 2020.
From August 2022, Fugro will mobilise multiple geophysical and geotechnical vessels from local ports to complete full coverage surveys across the windfarm, inter-array cables and export cable routes.
Operations will include the use of Fugro’s SEACALF Mk V DeepDrive system for seabed cone penetration tests and Blue Snake geotechnical system.
The Blue Snake integrates CPT and sampling technology to enable high-quality data acquisition along the cable route.
In the first phase of the project, geophysical surveys and unexploded ordnance surveys will be completed followed by a 2D ultra high-resolution seismic survey to provide detailed seabed and shallow sub-surface information.
The data collected will not only support the positioning of the inter-array cables, but also enhance the safety of future operations, facilitate route planning and improve project design.
Following the fieldwork, an extensive laboratory testing programme will be delivered by Fugro’s UK laboratories in Wallingford and Consett with support from their newly certified and accredited laboratory in Belgium.
The data from the investigations will feed into the ground model for the Norfolk Vanguard and Norfolk Boreas windfarms to optimise foundation and cable design.
