A tender has been launched seeking geophysical survey services for the Estonian-Latvian cross-border offshore wind project.
The tender submission date is 27 June, and the estimated duration for the ELWIND offshore wind project is from 15 August 2025 to 31 March 2027.
The objective of the survey is to enhance the understanding of the geological characteristics of the wind farm areas by collecting and analysing geophysical data and developing a ground model to determine the design and installation requirements for the project.
The survey will map all seabed features, including both natural objects like boulders and artificial elements such as wrecks, debris, existing cables, pipelines, and unexploded ordnance (UXO).
The seismic data will be utilised to identify potential shallow geohazards that could impact the placement of wind turbines in the survey area, and to describe the key horizons of the geological formation of the sites.
The collected geophysical data will be used to develop a preliminary ground model, which shall be provided together with the recommendations for the geotechnical programme to the separately procured geotechnical survey contractor, who will use it to conduct the geotechnical sampling and testing programme.
The results of the geotechnical programme, combined with the geophysical data, are said to be used to create an Integrated Ground Model, which will serve as the basis for the design of offshore foundations, structures, and cable burial.
The ELWIND project aims to develop offshore wind sites in Latvian and Estonian territories and establish the fourth electricity interconnection between the two countries.
According to the project’s website, Estonia and Latvia collectively consume about 16 TWh of electricity annually, with ELWIND expected to supply approximately 3 TWh per year.