The Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) yesterday began a comprehensive geotechnical investigation of the soils under Lake Erie, where six Mono Bucket foundations will be installed for the Icebreaker offshore wind project.
LEEDCo will test the soil and collect samples at each of the six locations, the same type of tests that are done for constructing structures on land.
Pennsylvania-based company Donjon has provided a large crane barge, the Farrell 256 , along with the support from its shipyard as the team prepared the barge and other equipment for the work.
Gardline Geosurvey, a UK-based firm that recently completed similar work for the Maryland offshore wind project, and DOSECC Exploration Services, a Utah-based firm that conducted the geotechnical survey for the Block Island wind farm project, will perform the soil tests and collect the soil core samples.
The Holiday, a vessel operated by Cleveland-based Trident Marine Corp., will transfer crew between the Port of Cleveland and the project site, 7 miles from Cleveland, twice per day, as the work onboard the Farrell 256 will be continuous, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
Torgeir Ramstad, head of Universal Foundation , the firm that created and developed the Mono Bucket foundation, said that the company is actively supporting the on-site team performing the tests to ensure high quality results.
Image: Donjon (Farrell 256)