Norwegian Capabilities Series: Site Assessment and Characterisation Surveys

Ultra-high resolution 3D seismic imaging has the potential to revolutionize offshore wind power development by providing detailed insights into subsurface conditions. This cutting-edge technology enhances turbine foundation design, reduces risks, and optimizes project costs, supporting the rapid growth of the offshore wind industry and its role in renewable energy.

The UHR3D advantage UHR3D surveys benefit offshore wind developers in several ways. They provide enhanced resolution and coverage, offering continuous, high-resolution data across the entire survey area. This allows for the detection of small-scale features, such as boulders or shallow gas pockets, that might be missed by 2D surveys. The continuous 3D dataset also improves accuracy, enabling a more precise interpretation of soil units, which results in a more reliable ground model essential for foundation design and installation planning.

NGI is a world-leader in integrated site characterisation, with expertise in geotechnics, geology and geophysics and a global presence covering projects in all offshore wind regions. With offices in the US, Australia and Norway and over 200 employees in the offshore market, we have built our strategy on the energy transition and a focus on optimising project scopes related to offshore geotechnics and geoscience. NGI works tightly with clients to develop relevant solutions and technology, including innovations within offshore testing, laboratory methods and cutting-edge quantitative ground models. We are involved in some of the largest projects under development worldwide, and will show highlights from our portfolio of activities with concrete reference to how our work can reduce risk and uncertainty along the value chain, to the benefit of project schedule and cost.

IKM Ocean Design has in recent years been involved in many national and international offshore wind projects, starting from desktop/concept study in the early phase, and  spanning into detail design and construction phase, when product is installed, trenched and/or rock-covered to ensure required protection level. Typical design activities for IKM Ocean Design are geophysical & geotechnical survey planning, assessing the geotechnical conditions at wind turbine locations and along the cable route, and optimizing the cable route through an iterative process which takes into account aspects as cable installation, free-spans design, risk assessment, protection, seabed intervention and  burial assessment. A key factor for having a robust design, minimizing the cost and increasing the project sustainability is acquiring very good quality survey data, both geophysical and geotechnical. Such survey data are crucial for selecting the location and type of foundation for offshore wind turbines and also for choosing the best power cable route as function of seabed morphology and soil conditions, while focusing on  minimizing the amount (and cost) of seabed intervention.