Ecosse Subsea Systems (ESS) has been awarded a seabed clearance project on the £2.6bn Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm (BOWL) in the Outer Moray Firth. The subsea technology company will conduct boulder clearing operations in 50-meter water depth, deploying its SCAR2 Seabed System from the Siem Ruby vessel on behalf of client Siem Offshore Contractors.
ESS’s SCAR Max System operates at more than twice the speed of similar systems, can withstand 1,000 tonnes tow force, and is capable of excavating the deepest ever seabed trench using this method. (Photo: ESS)
BOWL is located approximately 13 kilometers off the Caithness coast and on completion in 2019 will consist of 84 turbines, which are expected to power roughly 450,000 homes.
“We’ve had a busy start to 2017 with mobilization on a major inter-connector project in the North Sea followed by this boulder-clearing workscope for Siem Offshore Contractors,” said ESS Commercial Director, Keith McDermott.
“With experience of similar clearance and trenching workscopes on Race Bank and Westermost Rough wind farms offshore the east coast of England, and a number of projects in the Baltic Sea, our track record in renewables is well-established,” he added.
The wind farm is being developed with a Tier 1 supply chain, comprising Seaway Heavy Lifting, Subsea 7, Nexans, and Siemens. It is expected to deliver an estimated £680 million into the UK and Scottish economy from employment and supply chain opportunities during the construction phase, and around £400-£525 million during the wind farm’s 25-year operational life.
Aberdeenshire-based ESS is developing a reputation as one of the leading providers of seabed clearance, pre-trenching, and back-fill plough services on major European wind farm and inter-connector projects.
“We are focused on exporting this technology and expertise in to emerging markets in Asia and the U.S., where offshore wind is beginning to get decent traction, and the Beatrice award strengthens our pedigree when bidding for other contracts,” added McDermott.
“We have a strong relationship with Siem Offshore Contractors, dating back to a boulder clearing and trenching workscope on the EnBW Baltic 2 offshore wind farm, and we are delighted to be working with them again,” he added.
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