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Haven Seariser 2 supports Sofia site investigations

By: Tom Russell 25/06/2020 innogy

General Vessels Windfarms

A 29 metre long jack-up vessel will be at work in the nearshore area between Redcar and Marske-by-the-Sea from this week to conclude a six-month offshore site investigation by service provider Fugro for the Sofia offshore wind farm.

The jack-up vessel Haven Seariser 2 will be visible to local residents and coast visitors for approximately a month while it carries out a series of boreholes. The boreholes together with earlier surveys will gather data that will feed into planning of final design and installation methodology for the main transmission cable where it reaches landfall.

The vessel has four legs that will be lowered to the seabed, enabling it to lift up above the water and create a steady platform for each borehole to be safely carried out. It will be towed between borehole sites by a towing vessel and is due to leave the area by the end of July.

As well as the towing vessel, the jack-up will be supported by a local guard vessel and a rigid inflatable boat to allow crew changes.

Sofia, the largest project in innogy’s development portfolio . The power generated by the wind farm will travel via a 220 kilometre long electricity export cable from the offshore converter platform to shore, at its landfall between Redcar and Marske-by-the-Sea.

From landfall, onshore cables will transport the power to a new onshore converter station to be built near the village of Lazenby, adjacent to the Wilton Complex. Construction is due to start onshore in early 2021.

Sofia’s Principal Geotechnical Engineer, Andy Barwise said: “The information gathered during these borehole surveys will be used to fine tune the design of the export cable and also how it will be installed.

“A technique called horizontal directional drilling is likely to be used to install the cable underneath the intertidal area and the beach, and these surveys will help us refine that planned methodology.”

The 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm is located 195 kilometres from the UK coast on Dogger Bank, in the shallow area of the central North Sea. Construction of the wind farm is due to begin onshore at its Teesside converter station site in early 2021, with offshore construction expected to get underway in 2023.

Onshore works are scheduled to begin in 2021, with offshore construction getting underway from 2022. First power is due to be generated in 2024/25 and on the current schedule, the wind farm would be fully operational by the end of 2026. Once in operation, the total amount of power Sofia could generate would be enough to provide almost 1.2 million average UK homes with their annual electricity needs.

For more information on wind farm developments, click here. Alternatively, click here for our interactive map of offshore wind farms, infrastructure and ports.

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Haven Seariser 2 supports Sofia site investigations

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