Offshore staff
LEIDSCHENDAM, the Netherlands — Fugro will conduct a geophysical survey in the North Sea offshore western Denmark over the site of RWE’s Thor wind farm development.
The company will allocate up three survey vessels for the pre-construction survey, which will include a search for unexploded ordnance (UXO) up to 34 km from the coast of Thorsminde.
RWE will use the data to define the cable routes and optimum locations for the wind turbines ahead of the planned construction start in 2025. Last year Fugro concluded a comprehensive geotechnical site investigation for the same project.
Marc Kebbel, service line director of Hydrography and Cable Route Surveys at Fugro, said, “We are using a wide range of survey techniques, comprising offshore and nearshore standard geophysical and UXO survey techniques, a seismic land refraction survey… and Fugro’s rapid airborne multi-beam mapping system (RAMMS) for comprehensive mapping of the shallow area and beach in the transition zone.”
The UXO campaign will run until December.
“The metocean challenges posed by Thor's exposed offshore location, such as high waves and strong wind in autumn and winter, are adding to the complexity,” Kebbel added.
Thor, with a planned capacity of 1,000 MW, will be Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm to date and should be fully operational by 2027.
Back in April of this year, RWE contracted HSM Offshore Energy an EPCIC contract for a 1-GW HV substation and jacket foundation for the Thor wind farm in the Danish North Sea.
10.19.2023
