March 27, 2017
Construction of the Galloper Offshore Wind Farm is moving into a major new phase after all 56 turbine foundations were installed ahead of schedule.
The first of the foundations, which are made up of a steel monopiles and transition pieces, was installed 30 kilometers off the Suffolk coast in late December, with the final foundation completed today [28th March 2017].
The installation works have been carried out by GeoSea using their ‘Innovation’ jack-up installation vessel. The Innovation was upgraded specifically to cope with the conditions at Galloper and to improve installation cycle times. This included bigger feet on the legs of the vessel and a new monopile sea fastening system.
The work – using some of the most innovative and effective technology on the market – had been expected to last until May, so has been completed two months ahead of schedule.
Galloper Project Director Toby Edmonds said “GeoSea have set records with their barn-storming performance on Galloper. To achieve a cycle-time of within a week to collect and install four complete foundations in remarkable and certainly the fastest we’ve seen so far at innogy. To do this in winter makes it all the more impressive. The teams from Galloper and GeoSea have combined brilliantly to reach this major milestone completing the foundation installation stage efficiently and safely in such good time.”
GeoSea, a specialist in complex offshore marine engineering projects, managed the installation of the foundations, each weighing about 1200 tonnes and 85m long and 7.5m in diameter, with the monopiles and transition pieces produced by Sif Group and Smulders.
Components were loaded out on to the GeoSea installation vessel, Innovation, in Rotterdam and Vlissingen.
The offshore team is now preparing to start turbine installation on the wind farm, which, once complete, will have the capacity to generate enough power for up to 336,000 homes 1 when fully operational next Spring (2018). The offshore construction for the project is being coordinated out of the Port of Lowestoft with local firm James Fisher & Son supporting the marine and offshore activity.
The Siemens turbines are being pre-assembled at the purpose built assembly base at Peel Ports, Great Yarmouth, where a 120m crane will lift the turbines on to vessels to sail them to the site.