Netherlands-headquartered Fugro has been awarded a contract for soil investigation services for Parkwind’s Blue Mackerel offshore wind farm in Australia.
Fugro will execute offshore geotechnical investigations to support the Blue Mackerel project being developed by Parkwind, part of JERA Nex.
For this project, the company will deploy its specialist geotechnical vessel, Fugro Mariner , to collect seabed soil samples, which will be analysed at a Fugro laboratory.
The survey results will assist Parkwind in optimising its offshore wind farm’s structural integrity and mitigating construction risks.
“We are excited to get to the next stage of site characterisation on our Blue Mackerel flagship project in Australia, and are pleased that Fugro will be collaborating with us to undertake this important geotechnical survey. This is a strategic project for Parkwind in Australia and we would play a crucial role in helping Victoria achieve its legislated 9 GW of offshore wind capacity target in time,” said Anil Chanana , Country Head for Parkwind, Australia.
Last month, Australia’s Offshore Infrastructure Regulator (OIR) approved the feasibility stage management plan for the Blue Mackerel offshore wind farm. The approval allows Blue Mackerel to begin feasibility activities, including metocean and geotechnical investigations to assess the potential for harnessing renewable energy.
With a projected capacity of 1 GW by 2032, the project aims to generate enough renewable energy to power over 500,000 Victorian homes.
The award for the Blue Mackerel wind farm follows Fugro’s completion of the geotechnical site investigation of the Star of the South offshore wind project. If built to its full capacity, Star of the South would generate enough electricity for 1.2 million homes.