Dudgeon wind farm foundation installation

The area east of England is invading dynamically in the offshore windpower market with major offshore windfarms like Greater Gabbard and Sheringham Shoal off the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts being constructed over the last years. The most recent project in the area, the Dudgeon wind farm, involves the construction of 67 wind turbines, which will generate 400MW of electricity, supplying "green" energy to more than 250,000 UK houses annually. The foundation installation has just been handed to Seaway Heavy Lifting (SHL), few days ago, by the two developing and operating Norwegian companies Statoil and Statkraft.

The contract includes the storage, transportation and installation of a combination of monopiles and jacket foundations along with transition pieces for the construction of the down-scaled 67 turbines.  Also SHL will undertake the installation of a substation including the jacket and the topside. According to SHL "the monopiles vary in size from 60 to 78 metres in length and 600 to 1000 tonnes in weight, while the substation topside weight is estimated at up to 2000 tonnes". 

Dudgeon seabed consists of chalk, which in combination with the mobile sand waves in the area, create significant geotechnical challenges in the foundation installation. Works are planned to begin March and May 2016 and will be completed in August that year.