Pioneering North Sea Soil Survey Helps Design New Offshore Wind Farms

Wedoany.com Report-Oct 24,  In a first for the North Sea, a large-scale three-dimensional Ultra High Resolution Seismic (3D UHRS) soil survey was conducted between mid-June and late August 2024, commissioned by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). This pioneering research is expected to play a crucial role in shaping the design of future offshore wind farms. RVO plans to release the findings in early 2025.

TGS – a global leader in energy data and insights, offering geophysical and subsurface data to support exploration and production in sectors like oil, gas, and renewables – conducted the 3D UHRS soil survey in the Doordewind Wind Farm Zone, covering over 300 km² and gathering extensive data on soil conditions. Most measurements reached a depth of 100 metres, which is crucial for wind turbine foundations since this depth holds the most relevant information. The survey also identified optimal routes for laying electricity cables.

This 3D survey represents a significant upgrade over the 2D surveys previously commissioned by RVO in other wind farm zones. While 3D surveys capture soil profiles every few metres, 2D surveys have measurements spaced about 70 metres apart, offering far less detail.

The study, conducted on such a large scale for the first time, posed a significant technical challenge. "RVO is happy to cooperate as a pioneer in the field of location studies at sea. We coordinate the studies and ensure that, with innovations like this, wind farm developers have an increasingly better package of data. In this way, RVO reduces uncertainties for developers in the design and construction of wind farms," said Peter-Paul Lebbink, coordinator of soil studies at RVO.

The full results of this study are expected to be published on the offshorewind.rvo.nl website in early 2025.