Barrow Windfarm Works Underway

Barrow Offshore Windfarm, situated 7km south west of Walney Island in the Irish Sea, will consist of 30 Vestas V-90 offshore wind turbines supplying up to 90MW of renewable power into the national grid for operator BOWind, a joint venture between UK energy group Centrica (parent company British Gas) and Danish Oil & Natural Gas (DONG).

Vestas KBR is a joint venture between Danish wind turbine manufacturer and supplier Vestas and the international engineering and construction management services company KBR.

MPI will employs its flagship turbine installation vessel M/VResolution , operating from Belfast, for the majority of the offshore construction tasks. The vessel was specifically designed to overcome the challenges of current windfarm installation practices and techniques, such as limited operational weather windows, low capacity, and dependence on large numbers of logistical support vessels. It has the capacity to transport up to 10 wind turbines and is held in position on site by a dynamic positioning system while a jacking system raises the entire 138m by 38m vessel out of the water at a rate of 1m per minute to create a stable working platform. It can operate in depths ranging from 3m to more than 35m and incorporates both a 300 ton main crane and a 50 ton auxiliary. The vessel accommodates a regular crew of 34 plus up to 36 construction personnel and also serves as mother ship for a purpose built submersible vehicle, capable of operating to depths of 50m, which can be deployed to lay and bury cables.

Engineering and planning for the contract has been ongoing since MPI received a Letter of Intent in January. Offshore construction began offshore in Barrow last month and will continue until the autumn.

The first phase involves the installation of piled foundations through the use of a large capacity pile hammer and drilling into the seabed.

MJ Information No: 20764