Triton Knoll is set to start survey works on the dunes and beach at Mogg’s Eye, Anderby, Lincolnshire, as the project moves into the design phase after consent was granted for its Electrical System in September.
The project expects up to three days of survey works to begin on Wednesday 3 November, using technology that has been specially designed to leave the most minimal of impacts once the work is complete.
All consents have been secured and permissions granted, allowing full access for the works to take place, while Triton Knoll has also consulted Anderby Parish Council in preparation for the survey activity.
Triton Knoll Technical Engineer Andy Barwise (or Package Manager Martin Knagg) said: “We’re very conscious of wanting to keep the impact of our survey works to a minimum. That’s why we’ve not conducted any beach surveys until now, to avoid the key tourist season and school holidays when the beach is most likely to be in use. We’ve also opted to use one of lowest impact surveying techniques available.
“The most anyone is likely to see will be the tracked survey vehicle as it goes about its work in and around the beach area, but little else. These are essential survey works which will help us to plan our directional drill beneath the beach and dunes, ensuring that, during the construction phase, the cable can be installed with no disturbance to the sea defences.”
The work will take place at a total of 18 sites in and around the beach area, just five of which are within the inter-tidal zone of the coastline. The surveys are called Cone Penetration Tests (CPT) and will help the project get a better understanding of the ground conditions at the point where the offshore export cable, which carries the clean energy generated by the wind turbines, comes ashore.
Testing involves pushing an instrumented probe of only 36mm diameter into the ground from a vehicle called a Cone Penetration Test (CPT) Rig. Only one vehicle is required on site, although a second standby rig may also support the work. Each is about the size of a transit van and fitted with low ground bearing pressure rubber tracks, designed for minimal ground impact.
All testing kit and machinery is contained within the vehicle, including hydraulic ram for driving the 36mm diameter CPT probe into the ground through an opening in the vehicle floor. Only the vehicle is visible and, because the probes are small in diameter, the natural action of the sand and tides quickly recovers each of the test sites leaving virtually no trace of the work having taken place.
Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm will be located approximately 32km off the Lincolnshire coast and 50km off the coast of North Norfolk. It is being developed a joint venture between Innogy Renewables UK Ltd(1) (50%) and Statkraft (50%), with innogy managing the project on behalf of the partnership. With an anticipated up to 900MW installed export capacity, the wind farm would have the potential to power up to 800,000(2) UK homes once fully operational. A Development Consent Order (DCO) for the offshore array was granted by the Secretary of State in July 2013, while consent for the Electrical System was granted in September 2016.
Ends
Contact
Mark Fleming – Triton Knoll Communications Manager
M: 07825 608096
E: mark.fleming@tritonknoll.co.uk
Editors notes
Partnership
Triton Knoll is a joint venture partnership between Innogy Renewables UK Ltd (50% share) and Statkraft (50% share).
About Statkraft
Statkraft is a leading company in hydropower internationally and Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy. The Group produces hydropower, wind power, gas power and district heating and is a global player in energy market operations. Statkraft has 4200 employees in more than 20 countries.
Since 2006, Statkraft has invested £1.4 billion in the UK’s renewable energy infrastructure and provided 2.5 GW of renewable energy Power Purchase Agreements (PPA’s)
For further information about Statkraft visit www.statkraft.com
About innogy SE
innogy SE is the new subsidiary of RWE AG. With its three business segments Grid & Infrastructure, Retail and Renewables, it addresses the requirements of a modern, decarbonised, decentralised and digital energy world. In Renewables we plan, build and operate plants to generate power and extract energy from renewable sources. We aim to rapidly expand renewables in Europe, both on our own and with partners.
Further information: www.innogy.com
(2) Energy predicted to be generated by the Triton Knoll proposal is derived using long term wind speeds calculated by meteorological models seeded with historical weather data obtained from satellite, surface-based and airborne measurement systems. The energy capture predicted and hence derived homes equivalent or emissions savings figures may change as further data are gathered. Equivalent homes supplied is based on an annual electricity consumption per home of 4500 kWh. This figure is supported by recent domestic electricity consumption data available from The Digest of UK Energy Statistics and household estimates and projections from the UK Statistics Authority.)