Piling installation at Moray East offshore wind farm crosses halfway point

10-09-2019

Piling installation at Moray East offshore wind farm crosses halfway point

DEME Offshore is making strong progress on the installation of pin piles at the Moray East wind farm in the UK. Having started offshore construction works with the jack-up installation vessel ‘Apollo’ in May 2019, piling activities have now passed the halfway mark, with more than 156 pin piles out of a total of 309 installed. The piles are part of the jacket-based foundations on which the turbines will later be installed.

With meticulous engineering and planning, combined with carefully thought-out logistics operations which link onshore handling facilities at Invergordon with a spread of offshore vessels, the piling materials have been brought to site and smoothly hammered into their designated location. A high degree of positional accuracy has been achieved through the use of DEME Offshore’s patented piling template, which integrates with the jack-up legs of ‘Apollo’.

Subject to the weather and any other operational conditions, DEME Offshore hopes to be able to complete the remaining piling operations by the end of 2019, in readiness for jacket installation works in 2020.

Bart De Poorter, General Manager at DEME Offshore, emphasises: “Crossing the halfway point is not only a major milestone for DEME Offshore, it also highlights the strength of the collaborative approach of all stakeholders involved. Such a complex and challenging project is only made possible by working closely with our local partners and suppliers. Together we have made good progress and will remain focused on a safe and timely completion of the pile installation.”