Scottish Floating Offshore Wind Project Completes All Offshore Survey Campaigns

Project Updates

October 18, 2023, by Adnan Memija

All offshore survey campaigns have been completed across the Pentland floating offshore wind farm’s site area and cable corridor in Scotland.

“This is a significant milestone for any offshore wind development, and we are pleased to have safely and successfully completed a number of survey and monitoring campaigns over the past three years that gives us the data we need to finalise design and prepare for construction,” said Richard Copeland, Project Director.

Detailed geophysical surveys were performed using a combination of sonar, acoustic, seismic, and magnetic techniques to give the project a detailed understanding of the geophysical properties of the site.

The data acquired during surveys supported by Ocean Infinity provides information such as depth to the seafloor, the type of sediment present on the surface, and the layers that exist beneath.

Wind and metocean data were also recorded using SEAWATCH Wind LiDAR Buoys, deployed by Fugro, which gathered a range of measurements, such as offshore wind speeds, to inform critical project decisions through development.

The geotechnical survey that followed involved a combination of sampling boreholes, cone penetration tests, and in-situ testing to gather information about the lithology (physical rock characteristics) and properties of the site.

“We now have a best-in-class data set to help us meet the engineering challenges of this pioneering project, with two years of wind and wave data and a combination of geophysical and geotechnical surveys performed means that the project now has a high-quality 3D integrated ground model,” said Copeland.

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The 100 MW Pentland floating offshore wind project is being developed by Highland Wind Limited, which is majority-owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) through one of its CI Funds, with Hexicon as a minority shareholder.

Located 7.5 kilometres off the coast of Dounreay in Caithness, the wind farm will feature Stiesdal Offshore’s TetraSub floating foundation technology.

The Pentland floating offshore wind farm is planned to be operational in 2026 and the project is anticipated to produce enough green electricity to power 70,000 homes – 65 per cent of those in the Highland Council area.