SSE Rings Arklow Bank Survey Bell

SSE Renewables Offshore Limited has issued a contract notice for the provision of geotechnical surveys works at Arklow Bank in the Irish Sea.

The offshore and nearshore geotechnical surveys will be carried out off the coast of county Wicklow, Ireland, to gather sufficient geotechnical data to support the preliminary design, and in part the detailed design, of wind turbine substructures and foundations.

The work comprises 25 boreholes and 50 cone penetration tests (CPT’s) located on as yet undefined locations across the Arklow Bank development area, and associated in-situ, and geotechnical laboratory testing and factual reporting.

The contractor should assume that they will supply all management, technical support and competent labour, supervision, vessels, equipment, tools, materials, consumables, temporary works and each and all other resources necessary for the handling, transportation, unloading and receiving, monitoring, measuring, drilling, testing, and quality assurance necessary for the delivery of the work.

Field works shall be completed by end September 2018, with laboratory testing and factual reporting in early 2019. It is expected that this work will be delivered from a purpose-built or suitably converted floating and/or jack up vessel or vessels, as deemed appropriate.

The tender deadline is 12 June, and invitations to tender or to participate are expected to be issued on 19 June.

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.