Renewable Energy Sector
The growth of European, Asian and USA wind farms in the last decade has presented fresh challenges and opportunities to the geo-survey, geotechnical and installation sectors.
The success of a project relies very heavily on the requirement for excellent spatial charting of the seabed, its shallow geology and environment. Often in congested waters with numerous third party cable and pipeline crossings to negotiate for inter-array and export cables alike, with complex tidal streams, navigation channels, coastal and offshore shipping routes and not forgetting the host nation permitting requirements in particular – Wind Farm Development is almost now a discipline in its own right.
There are plenty of cross-over elements with other sectors in terms of survey and installation equipment used and in developing best practices.
CP Geo-Services Ltd has been engaged in a number of major Wind Farm development projects in recent years with the promise of more to come….The Company has also been involved with other partners in developing guidelines for route optimisation and cable spacing in this industry sector.
The Company has notably been involved in geotechnical operations in the Irish Sea for Centrica, Met mast decomissioning surveys for Centrica in respect of Race Bank and Docking Shoal (North Sea) wind farms, Celtic Array (Irish Sea), Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm Project, North Wales (scour filter rock placement operations for wind turbine installation), Race Bank Desk Top Study, Hornsea Windfarm data review, Greater Gabbard pre-installation survey works and NordE.ON 1 Campaign 1 and 2 HVDC cable lay support operations. January 2017 saw CP Geo-Services Ltd engaged as a Consultant to Walney 2 OFTO Blue Transmission Walney 2 Ltd through Arup and Red Penguin Ltd, supervising rock placement operations over an existing cable as part of Walney Wind Farm development operations. August and September 2017 saw CP Geo-Services Ltd providing Offshore Consultancy to Vattenfall AS using specialist slanted streamer 2D UHR techniques for foundation and inter-array cable site investigation studies as part of their ongoing Danish Kriegers Flak offshore windfarm project works. 2020 saw supervision of deep CPTs including seismic CPTs for Energinet as part of their Thor windfarm programme in Denmark. 2021 and 2022 saw involvement with Energinet’s regional geophysical survey programme in association with their planned Energy Island wind farm field development. 2022 also saw windfarm related geotechnical operations for Energinet and Vattenfall (boreholes and deep pCPTs).
2023 saw involvement in emergent Carbon Capture and Storage programmes; notably the Shell/TotalEnergies Aramis CCS project – deep geotechnical investigation for a new platform and Distribution Hub in Dutch waters of the North Sea. A challenging project in relatively shallow water for a large geotechnical vessel like the M/V Fugro Voyager yet successfully and safely carried out.
Significant involvement offshore was also undertaken for SSE Renewables in August 2023 as part of their planned Arklow Bank Wind Park development (south of Dublin) – deep and shallow pCPTs and vibrocoring using GEO’s GeoScope and GeoCeptor systems.
2024 saw Colin Poat overseeing shallow water Jack-Up barge operations investigation soil and rock conditions using pCPT and borehole sampling for Horizon Directional Drilling (HDD) planning as part of Outer Dowsing wind farm development coastal operations north of Skegness, UK. Additionally, a further project was supervised in German waters for N11-2 Offshore Windfarm for TotalEnergies Renewables Germany (shallow geotechnics – pCPTs and Vibrocores).
Clients worked for and projects worked on in these sectors include the following:
Arup, Blue Transmission, Cefas, Centrica, Energinet, ExxonMobil, Exxon Neftegas Services Ltd (Russian Federation), Frontier Power, Hydroprojects Ltd, JNCC, MAIB, Saipem, Shell International Exploration & Production B.V., SSE, SSER, TotalEnergies, Tennet, Vattenfall
Energinet Thor Windfarm Development, Denmark, Regional Geology Appraisal Programme, GEO GeoScope 250kN CPT system, M/V Wilson Adriatic, May 2020
CP Geo-Services Ltd was engaged to provide an Offshore Client Representative to supervise deep CPT and seismic CPT operations (targeting 70m below seabed) as part of planned windfarm regional geology investigation works. Operations were conducted by GEO (Denmark) from the vessel M/V Wilson Adriatic. Some 68 locations were tested including 10 where seismic (S-Wave and P-Wave) measurements were also taken using GEO’s GeoThor seismic hammer at the surface with geophones attached to the CPT string; derivation of soils’ dynamic and elastic modulii for engineering assessment.
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Walney Extension Wind Farm operations, January 2017, DPFV Rockpiper.
CP Geo-Services Ltd was engaged to provide an Offshore Client Representative onboard DPFV Rockpiper to ensure that new rock placement did not damage or compromise the existing Wind Farm HVAC Export Cable from offshore to the land terminal – Walney 2 HVAC – in the Irish Sea – January 2017. A comprehensive understanding of methods, processes and risk management was key to effecting this Third Party Asset crossing safely and without compromise. CP Geo-Services Ltd provided to the Client a comprehensive Report detailing all aspects of system calibration, existing cable detection attempts with ROV mounted TSS440 and installation outcomes.
So far not much involvement in tidal energy projects but who knows…
Environmental and Oceanographic Survey Sectors, Marine Mammal Observervation
CP Geo-Services Ltd has undertaken Marine Conservation Park survey supervision for Cefas off the south coast of the United Kingdom mapping benthic habitats with acoustic back scatter instrumentation. A common element of marine cable and pipeline survey works is environmental mapping and sampling and its supervision is routinely undertaken as an element of these works; yes here’s our friend Sabellaria Spinulosa again (look it up).
Oceanographic instrumentation deployment is a key feature in coastal development works in particular and the Company has experience of most instrumentation and methodologies, notable being recent deployment of oceanographic instrumentation to measure water and ice thickness properties off De-Kastri in Eastern Russia. Minus 19°C outside and up to 1m thickness of ice….
In September 2016 Mr Colin Poat became a Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) accredited Marine Mammal Observer (MMO) – entry level. The JNCC is the public body that advises the UK Government and devolved administrations on UK-wide and international nature conservation. The JNCC publish guidelines relating to seismic activities and mitigation measures for their impact on the marine environment. CP Geo-Services Ltd therefore has the experience and qualifications to ensure that marine survey and seismic activities are conducted to the highest standards regarding marine mammal protection. Typically, JNCC guidelines cover exploration seismic, 2DHR and 2DUHR seismic, site survey, construction, piling (eg. monopile installation for windfarm development), demolition explosives and UXO disposal (detonation) activities.
In the summer of 2018, Mr Colin Poat was engaged by Spirit Energy to assist in the supervision of Environmental Baseline Survey operations as part of their planned Pegasus Pipeline project. Video and still camera photography was undertaken at discreet stations along the planned pipeline route or as video transects. Physical sampling of the seabed for macrofauna assemblage assessment and physio-chemical determination was also undertaken. Other Environmental Baseline activities involved projects for Qatar Shell WLL and Shell UK Ltd. in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
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Sidescan sonar imagery used to determine seabed characteristics for habitat assessment, Pegasus Pipeline Route Survey, 2018.
Seabed video imagery acquired along transects, to determine seabed macrofauna assemblage distribution as part of Environmental Baseline Survey operations, Pegasus Pipeline Route Survey, 2018.
CP Geo-Services Ltd provided Mr Colin Poat to supervise hydrographic, geophysical, geotechnical and environmental survey operations for Spirit Energy (formerly Centrica), southern North Sea in April-May 2018. Contractor: Gardline Limited. Vessel: M/V Ocean Reliance.
Client: RPS Energy/Spirit Energy.
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Marine Mammal Observer (MMO) Acoustic Monitoring, Plymouth (UK) September 2016.
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ADCP Frame preparation for Met-Ocean operations, RFE LNG Development Project, De-Kastri, Russian Federation, June 2016.
Oceanographic profilers prepared for deployment, RFE LNG Development Project, June 2016.
Oceanographic profile, Temperature, Salinity, Dissolved Oxygen, Optical Backscatter (Turbidity), RFE LNG Development, June 2016.
Oceanographic Time Series, Temperature, Salinity, Dissolved Oxygen, Optical Backscatter (Turbidity), RFE LNG Development, June 2016.
CP Geo-Services Ltd provided a Lead QC Representative supervising Met-Ocean Intrumentation Deployment and Oceanographic Profiling for the planned Russian Far East (RFE) LNG Development Project, De-Kastri, Russian Federation, May-June 2016, Client: ExxonMobil/ENL.
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Benthic survey operations, Shetland Islands for planned HVDC Cable
SSE HVDC Shetland to Mainland Scotland. CP Geo-Services Ltd provided a Senior Cable Route Engineer/Purchaser’s Representative onboard M/V Franklin during geophysical and geotechnical and benthic survey for a planned HVDC cable, June – July 2008. Client, Scottish and Southern Energy (UK)/TeleSecure Ltd.
Land Based Operations
Occasionally the offer of land based works comes up. As an experienced field scientist Colin Poat has undertaken in the past geophysical survey operations looking for mine shafts in North Devon for the A30 road development project, mapping for engineering geology purposes and geochemical sampling analysis for brown-field development in Plymouth, Devon.