New sustainable scour protection unveiled

The base of wind turbines are usually protected from erosion with concrete and rock, but they often cause problems with the O&M phase of cable repairs and can hinder the marine ecosystem.

“Our new solution will overcome this problem and may even help with planning permissions of offshore wind farms. This solution is environmentally friendly whilst offering a cable protection solution away from concrete matting. The strength of experience at Geofabrics makes them the perfect partner,” said Rob Grimmond, chief executive officer, OMM.

OMM will be using Geofabrics’ ELCOROCK system, a robust sand-filled container made from the highest durability geotextile fabric, to provide an alternative to rock placement protection.

The geotextile containers are made from Texcel, a durable non-woven staple fibre geotextile. The company says it’s a versatile system ranging from hand-filled 40kg containers to hydraulically-filled 400 tonne mega-sand containers and tubes.

ELCOROCK was originally developed more than 20 years ago to prevent erosion of beaches along the Australian Gold Coast shoreline. Geofabrics says it has already proven to be beneficial to the environment, encouraging underwater habitats to grow around the system.

OMM will work closely with Geofabrics to “repurpose” the products for use in the renewables industry and will provide advice on the correct design, detailing and planning installation of the system along with an ongoing maintenance plan.

“This is a new and exciting market area for ELCOROCK. We have seen the benefits of our high durability system along the shoreline and in inland waterways and by utilising the skills and expertise of OMM we are confident we will see the same benefits further offshore by protecting wind turbines in a more sustainable way,” added Dave Markham, business development manager, Geofabrics.

Video: Geofabrics Australasia