Rampion Readies for OSS Topside Installation

Antwerp-based offshore marine contractor Scaldis is getting ready to install the offshore substation topside at the 400MW Rampion wind farm off the coast of Sussex, UK.

According to a Notice to Mariners, Scaldis will deploy four vessels to the site, including the heavy lift vessel Rambiz, the lay barge AMT Venturer, and two anchor handlers.

The works are scheduled to start on 15 April, the notice said.

Babcock International Group is responsible for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the 2,500 tonne offshore substation topside and jacket for Rampion. Babcock built the Rampion offshore substation, with the Schiedam-based HSM Offshore fabricating the jacket and piles under a subcontract.

Earlier this month, the near 2,000 tonne topside structure was loaded out from Babcock’s Firth of Forth facility.

Back in January, Scaldis installed the jacket for the offshore substation.

The first of 116 MHI Vestas 3.45MW wind turbines was installed in early March.

The GBP 1.3 billion Rampion offshore wind farm project is owned by E.ON, the UK Green Investment Bank plc and Canadian energy company Enbridge. The project, located some 13 kilometres off the coast of Sussex, is due to be completed and operational in 2018.