Geotech Survey Complete

During 2022, the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm project completed a key phase of its site investigation work by collecting geotechnical data across the planned wind farm area. According to the project website, the purpose of this activity was to test the physical properties of the seabed and inform the project design. This geotechnical campaign followed earlier site characterisation work, including mapping of the seabed via geophysical surveys, which had been completed for the windfarm area in October and November 2021. Together, these datasets progressively reduced geological uncertainty and underpinned the engineering basis for turbine foundations and associated offshore infrastructure. The 2022 geotechnical data collection formed part of a broader programme of environmental and technical surveys that the developer is undertaking to support its Development Consent Order (DCO) application and detailed design. The website notes that additional environmental surveys were already planned for 2022, both onshore and offshore, to investigate seabed habitats, ecology and onshore ground conditions. Building on the 2022 geotechnical campaign, the project subsequently progressed to further geophysical and shallow geotechnical surveys in May 2023, followed by deep-sea geotechnical investigations from mid-July to late October 2023, and then further surveys running into 2024. The completion of the 2022 geotechnical data collection therefore represents an early, foundational milestone in defining seabed conditions and guiding the evolving design of the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm.