Engineering Matters Podcast
Grounded in knowledge - Ireland's biggest offshore wind farm
Published
02 Dec 2024
During the last Ice Age, glaciers scored huge trenches through the land beneath the Irish Sea. Today, those valleys are filled with softer material and sit between tracts of hard rock, creating a diverse landscape that wind farm developer Codling Wind Park has had to research in painstaking detail before it can begin installing its turbine foundations into the seabed.
This challenge is explained by Ed Sly from Codling Wind Park, and our own Geo-data experts - Matthew Chappell, Melanie Zacheis, and Ross Frazer. They explain the innovative technologies deployed to combat the hazardous offshore conditions, while making the process as quick and efficient as possible when designing what is set to be Ireland’s biggest offshore wind farm, projected to produce 1,300 megawatts of power for homes in Dublin and beyond.
With the wind power industry booming, the necessary ground investigation and construction equipment is in short supply, and financial stakes are high. Safety is always a priority when working offshore as well. We made modifications to the Excalibur jack-up platform from which the geotechnical investigations for the Codling project were conducted, cutting downtime, reducing overall time at sea, and enabling more tests to be run, giving a more accurate picture of the seabed.
Guests
Matthew Chappell, Regional Service Line Director Nearshore, Fugro
Ross Frazer, Principal Analysis Engineer, Fugro
Ed Sly, Engineering Manager, Codling Wind Park
Melanie Zacheis, Principal Engineer - Geotechnical Team Leader, Fugro
Partner
This episode was produced in partnership with Engineering Matters.
Foundations and geotechnical surveys
Whether your project site is located at the bottom of the ocean or in shallow waters, it’s hard to tell what’s going on beneath the surface. And how your project may be impacted by those conditions – or even at risk. That’s where we come in. At Fugro, we provide you with a complete understanding of the conditions and hazards at your project site. With our reliable, accurate data, you’ll be able to manage and minimise risks. And together we’ll come up with the best, most cost-effective foundation design for your site that lasts a lifetime.