FoundOcean securing the foundations at Race Bank OWF

FoundOcean securing the foundations at Race Bank OWF

Marlow, UK – 31st August 2016

The Race Bank Offshore Wind Farm will be located nearly 17 miles off the North Norfolk coast and will cover an area of approximately 29 square miles.

In 2015 DONG Energy, the owner and developer of Race Bank Offshore Wind Farm, contracted Geosea for the transportation and installation of the project’s 91 monopile foundations.

Following a successful installation campaign by Geosea at DONG Energy’s German wind farms Gode Wind I and II, Geosea opted to remain with FoundOcean, and their support partners BASF, in providing the monopile to transition piece connection.

The decision by Geosea to stick with FoundOcean was not one based on convenience. Far from it, as well as demonstrating the suitability of the proposed material MasterFlow 9500, FoundOcean and BASF were also required to demonstrate their continued commitment to the sustainability of the offshore wind industry through efficiency savings and productivity improvements both onshore and off.

With the project’s offshore installation program running though the second half of this year and well into winter, identifying potential efficiency savings and productivity improvements was not difficult for FoundOcean and BASF.

Operating in adverse weather conditions, down to zero degrees centigrade, is not a new challenge for the duo. Over the last 5 years their solution has unwaveringly demonstrated that, thanks to the materials dependable strength development and delivery system, it provides a secure, durable and volume stable connection between the monopile and transition piece, even in the harshest of environments.  Additionally, and uniquely, the solution is proven to enable installation contractors to optimise their schedules using the shortest of weather windows, which during autumn and winter becomes a significant contributor to productivity.

MasterFlow 9500 from BASF was the first material to hold a Type Approval Certificate from DNV GL, according to the offshore standard DNV-OS-C502. A certification which, amongst other things, enables foundation contractors to continue grouting operations at near freezing ambient temperatures; temperatures that would normally result in a suspension of works. Such suspensions were common place until the introduction of MasterFlow. Its properties, coupled with the cold weather operational procedures of FoundOcean, has since positively contributed during the risk assessment of the installation contractors and owners/investors.

FoundOcean CEO Jim Bell said “Both FoundOcean and BASF are very pleased and grateful that the Geosea project teams have once again decided to put their trust in our products and services”, he continued “As always I am confident that our onshore and offshore personnel will work hard to warrant this trust that has been placed in us”. 

FoundOcean and BASF mobilised in June of this year.