You will have read in our previous post how RockWave played a part in successful ScotWind applications – now we turn our attention to Floating Wind opportunities in the Celtic Sea!
The Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult Floating Offshore Wind Constraint Mapping document provides a detailed evaluation of the Celtic Sea for the purposes of Floating Wind development identifying 5 key development zones. Seabed composition has not been used to constrain these areas, and whilst a broad regional map is provided, it is noted that a more detailed assessment of the seabed will be required to support anchor selection and design.
As well as seabed composition, the shallow subsurface conditions, particularly the distribution and depth to bedrock, will be a key consideration in anchor design and for that RockWave have our tried, tested and proven Repurposing workflows that can provide an initial assessment of site conditions.
The publicly available North Sea Transition Authority SW Approaches 2D dataset offers a Repurposed uplift to match that achieved for our ScotWind work. Providing coverage across ORE Catapult Key Development Zones 1,2,3 & 5, the Repurposed dataset will allow you to map bedrock beneath your proposed development location, identify other features and even help to seed savings later on, by allowing you to constrain and optimise subsequent geophysical acquisition.
The Crown Estate ambition is to unlock 4GW of clean energy capacity from the Celtic Sea through a lease process that could see rights awarded by the end of next year. Time to contact RockWave and get control of the subsurface!
