Geotech Survey Complete

From mid-July to late October 2023, the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm project team undertook a campaign of deep-sea geotechnical surveys within the project area, using the survey vessel Horizon Geodiscovery. The wording on the project website indicates that this offshore geotechnical investigation was carried out over that period and therefore reached completion by late October 2023. These works followed earlier site investigations, including mapping of the seabed via geophysical surveys completed in late 2021 and collection of geotechnical data during 2022, as well as additional geophysical and shallow geotechnical surveys conducted in May 2023. Together, these campaigns build a progressively more detailed picture of seabed conditions for the planned fixed-bottom foundations and associated infrastructure. The deep-sea geotechnical surveys are a key milestone in de-risking the project’s detailed design, as they provide data on the physical properties of the seabed at different locations within the lease area. This information underpins engineering decisions on foundation types, installation methods, and cable routing. The completion of this deep-sea survey phase by late October 2023 means that the project can move forward using a robust geotechnical dataset, while further geotechnical and geophysical surveys across the site are now underway and scheduled to be finished in August 2024, subject to weather. These subsequent campaigns will further refine understanding of ground conditions ahead of construction and final investment decisions.