Offshore installation contractor Van Oord has awarded German company Bauer Spezialtiefbau a contract for drilling and grouting operations on the Saint-Brieuc offshore windfarm in France
The German company will provide Van Oord with three newly-designed Bauer DD 40 U dive drills, which will be capable of drilling to depth of 47 m in a water depth of up to 37 m.
Working from Van Oord’s installation vessel Aeolus, the company will also undertake grouting operations to fix 190 bored piles at the drilling location.
The ‘Dive Drill’ was designed for use in mixed soil and rock conditions and has an electro-hydraulic power system which reduces CO2 emissions associated with its use.
Van Oord is due to start offshore operations in 2021 with the installation of the bored piles. Aeolus will be assisted by a second vessel in 2022, which will install the jacket foundations for the project.
The Saint-Brieuc offshore windfarm will be the first large-scale offshore windfarm in Brittany and one of the first in France. It will comprise 62 turbines with a capacity of 8 MW each and have an installed capacity of 496 MW. The windfarm is being built approximately 16 km off the coast.
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