Geophysical Survey Start

Further geotechnical and geophysical surveys for the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm are reported as being underway across the windfarm site, indicating that a new phase of seabed investigation had commenced by the time of the project’s website update. The campaign is described as ongoing and is planned to run through to August 2024, subject to weather conditions, which confirms that active offshore survey operations have started rather than merely being scheduled. These works focus on improving understanding of seabed conditions within the defined project area to support detailed design and consenting. This latest survey phase builds on a sequence of earlier site investigations at Morecambe. Initial mapping of the seabed via geophysical surveys was completed in October/November 2021, followed by collection of geotechnical data in 2022 to test seabed physical properties. In May 2023, additional geophysical and shallow geotechnical surveys were undertaken within the proposed development site, and from mid-July to late October 2023 deep-sea geotechnical surveys were carried out using the survey vessel Horizon Geodiscovery. The current round of geotechnical and geophysical surveys therefore represents a continuation and deepening of the site characterisation programme as the project progresses through development. The stated objective of these ongoing surveys is to gather the data necessary to refine project design and to better understand ground conditions across the offshore area. Their completion, targeted for August 2024, will inform final engineering decisions and environmental assessments for the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm, supporting subsequent planning, design optimisation and preparation for future construction activities.