Seabed geotechnical surveys begin in Moray Firth for Caledonia offshore wind farm

Developers of a proposed giant offshore wind farm in the Moray Firth have begun a detailed investigation of the seabed.

The 2GW Caledonia project is being developed by Ocean Winds in the Moray Firth, to the east of the Beatrice, Moray West and Moray East sites, and could have as many as 150 turbines.

The geotechnical survey will look at sediment from deep borehole samples from across the site which it is said will provide crucial data to allow further planning of the project’s engineering design and installation phases.

Following a recent geophysical survey campaign, the geotechnical survey will see the use of Gardline’s Horizon Geobay vessel. This will support soil analysis across the 429 square kilometre site – specifically core penetration tests and borehole sampling.

Sarah Graham, Caledonia Offshore Wind Farm head of engineering, said: “Ocean Winds has built a robust data catalogue of the Moray Firth throughout its decade-long presence in the area.

“Our goal now is to build a clear picture of the ground conditions across the Caledonia site area to inform the engineering design of the project. Collecting this data is an essential part in determining the wind turbine foundations, ensuring we select structures suitable for the site."

The offshore campaign will run until the end of 2023, weather dependent.

The Caledonia wind farm is scheduled to be operational by 2030. The site was awarded to Ocean Winds under the Scottish Government’s ScotWind process. It is adjacent to Ocean Wind's operational Moray East development and its under-construction Moray West project, which is due to be up and running early in 2025.

Ocean Winds, which has its headquarters in Madrid, is the result of a fifty-fifty joint venture by EDP Renewables and Engie.

Caledonia held a public consultation event in Wick in November. Other sessions took place in Fraserburgh and Buckie.

Speaking at the Wick session, a Caledonia spokesman said: “The Moray Firth is Scotland's home for offshore wind. We came to Scotland in 2010 to develop offshore wind and our first project was the Moray Firth.

“Caledonia is expected to come online in 2030. That means that we will have brought a project pipeline with consistent opportunities for growing a supply chain and for the industry for a whole 20 years. That will provide 20 years' worth of opportunity."

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