Vattenfall says it has awarded a contract for assembling pioneering suction bucket foundations for an offshore wind farm off the coast of Scotland to UK firm Smulders Projects.
The European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) is a ground-breaking wind energy project that will trial next generation technology including 8.4 MW turbines a 66 kV cabling. It will also be one of the first UK offshore wind projects to deploy suction bucket foundations on a large scale.
Smulders will assemble the 11 foundations at its Wallsend-based manufacturing facility near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north-east England.
“This latest contract award follows successful trials of the game-changing buckets and as a leading fabrication specialist for the wind sector, we’re pleased that Smulders will be carrying out the assembly work in Newcastle,” said Adam Ezzamel, Vattenfall’s EOWDC project director.
“The buckets enable faster offshore installation of the EOWDC, while keeping noise to a minimum, and allow easier decommissioning as the installation process is reversed.
“As such, the technology will contribute to driving down the cost of clean power as offshore wind moves into deeper waters and more complex seabed conditions.”
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