E.On is celebrating after completing installation on schedule for the 116 turbine foundations at the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm.
Work to install the first foundations began in early February and was put on hold during the Black Bream spawning season between mid-April and July. Since then two jack-up vessels – the MPI Discovery and Pacific – installed the foundations using a 1,000 tonne crane to lift each foundation upright before lowering and piling it into the seabed with a hydraulic hammer. The yellow transition pieces have also been fitted onto the foundations and sit approximately 20 metres above sea level, ready to hold the turbines.
The team will now prepare fir turbine installation, which is due to start in the spring and continue throughout 2017. Work will also continue to progress on the offshore cabling and substation.
Chris Tomlinson, E.On’s development and stakeholder manager for the wind farm, said: “Despite the adverse weather at the start of the year, the good autumnal weather conditions have enabled us to finish this phase of work ahead of winter, which is testament to the commitment of the construction team. We now look forward to starting the turbine installations in the spring, which will see the wind farm really begin to take shape as the 116 turbines are gradually installed throughout next year.”
The 400MW Rampion Offshore Wind Farm is being built 13km off the Sussex coast by E.On, the UK Green Investment Bank plc and Canadian energy company Enbridge. It is due to be completed in 2018.
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