Thialf Deployed for Jacket Installation at Neart na Gaoithe as Foundation Work Resumes

June 1, 2023, by Adrijana Buljan

The installation of wind turbine jacket foundations at the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm will resume over the coming few days with the vessel Thialf set to carry out the work. Twelve foundations were installed at the Scottish project’s site last year, two of which are supporting the wind farm’s substations.

The upcoming campaign is scheduled to begin on 5 June, at the earliest, and will see Heerema Marine Contractors installing 22 three-legged jackets onto pre-installed piles, with piling and casing installation work underway on several turbine locations.

While Heerema used its deepwater construction vessel Balder for the first jacket installation phase, the company will now deploy Thialf, world’s second-largest semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV). The largest SSCV in the world, Heerema’s Slepinir, was also deployed on Neart na Gaoithe for substation installation that took place last year.

COSCO Shipping’s heavy load carrier Xin Yao Hua will be supporting the lifting operations during the upcoming jacket installation.

Prior to placing each jacket at its respective location, the offshore support vessel Normand Sentinel will perform pile cleaning and a pre-jacket installation visual survey via a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). Following jacket installation, Normand Sentinel will grout the pile-jacket connections.

The 22 foundations that will now be installed will be brought directly to the site from the location of fabrication by four barges: AMT Crusader, AMT Challenger, AMT CD-1, and Ranbarge 1, with the tug vessel Blygia assisting the operation.

The 450 MW NnG, jointly owned by EDF Renewables and ESB, will comprise 54 jacket foundations which will house Siemens Gamesa 8 MW wind turbines.

The first wind turbines are planned to be installed and put online this year and the project, located 15 kilometres off the coast of Fife, is scheduled to be fully operational in 2024.

Once fully commissioned, the offshore wind farm will supply enough electricity for around 375,000 households and offset over 400,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.