Ecosse Subsea Systems extends trenching scope at Wikinger Offshore Wind Farm

Subsea technology specialist, Ecosse Subsea Systems (ESS), has extended a trenching scope on the Wikinger offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea after the award of a seabed clearance project. The contract has now doubled in scope with provision of route clearance and seabed preparation work on the 350-MW Wikinger development.

Keith McDermott, ESS Commercial Director, explains: “Detailed surveys discovered a number of obstacles on the proposed route and we have been contracted by Prysmian Group to carry out seabed clearance and route preparation prior to commencing the trenching work.

The Scottish company was first presented with a contract by main contractor Prysmian Group last year to carry out pre-cut seabed trenching, prior to cable laying, on Iberdrola’s 70-turbine wind farm in offshore Germany. (Iberdrola’s global offshore wind projects are managed by ScottishPower Renewables, headquartered in Glasgow.)

“This is an area in which we have a great deal of experience and strong track record of working in different terrains and our SCAR Route Clearance system has been used in similar projects in the Baltic Sea,” McDermott says.

Once the seabed is prepared ESS’s SCAR Seabed System will perform first pass and multi-pass trenching in preparation for Prysmian’s installation and burial of 81 km of submarine cables, which will connect the turbines to the offshore substation.

ESS has built up a reputation for seabed preparation projects in the renewables sector.

“Our previous experience of seabed clearance and trenching on the Baltic 2 wind farm has proven the versatility of the SCAR system and in particular its suitability for the soils in this region,” adds McDermott. “We offer a robust, cost effective option for major cable-laying workscopes, helping reduce the levelized cost of energy production.”