Salamander, a joint venture between Ørsted, Simply Blue Group, and Subsea7, has launched floating LiDAR and wave buoys as part of the metocean campaign for the proposed floating offshore wind project off the northeast of Scotland.
The survey, conducted by Fugro, will run for twelve months and produce insights that will inform the project’s design, operations, and maintenance strategy, as well as support the planning application process, according to Salamander.
Two floating SEAWATCH Wind Lidar Buoys and a Wavescan buoy have been deployed to gather meteorological, oceanographic, and environmental site data. These include wave height, wind, and current speed, and other region-specific metrics.
The metocean survey forms part of a series of surveys to be conducted by Salamander before starting the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Habitat Regulations Appraisal (HRA).
The project team aims to submit the necessary consent applications by early 2024.
The 100 MW floating wind farm is one of the 13 projects selected in Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round and one of the five INTOG innovation projects that signed exclusivity agreements with Crown Estate Scotland in May.
The Salamander floating offshore wind farm will be located 35 kilometers off the coast of Peterhead in northeast Scotland and is planned to deploy innovative floating offshore wind technologies to support the cost reduction and learning journey needed for the commercial deployment of floating offshore wind.