A joint venture between Ørsted, Simply Blue Group and Subsea 7 has appointed Fugro to conduct a metocean survey for the proposed Salamander offshore wind farm project.
Located 35 kilometres off the coast of Peterhead, Scotland, the 100 MW project will use innovative floating offshore wind technologies to help the UK achieve its net-zero ambitions.
Huw Bell, project director for Salamander said: “As a pioneering floating offshore wind project, there are technical factors which must be key considerations as we begin to develop the Salamander site.
“It’s crucial that we understand the influence of the environmental conditions our turbines will be required to operate under. The metocean survey conducted by Fugro will not only be an asset in terms of deciding our windfarm design, but also any future operations and maintenance schedule.”
Scheduled to begin in September, the survey will run for approximately twelve months and gather essential meteorological, oceanographic and environmental data to help inform the wind farm’s design and operation as well as support the planning application.
Two floating SEAWATCH Wind Lidar Buoys and a Wavescan buoy will be deployed, measuring wave height, wind and current speed and other region-specific metrics.
The metocean survey and others will be conducted by Salamander before starting the environmental impact assessment and habitat regulations assessment. The project team aims to submit the necessary consent applications by early 2024.
The Salamander floating offshore wind farm will reportedly generate enough green energy to power up to 100,000 Scottish homes. It will also provide insights for future commercial-scale developments in Scottish waters, ahead of the larger-scale ScotWind buildout.
