BV to certify 100MW Celtic Sea floating wind project

Photo: DOCK90/Principle Power Erebus_Floating_wind_farm
Bureau Veritas will carry out project certification for the Erebus offshore wind development off the coast of Wales.

The project, named Erebus, will generate up to 100MW of energy from 44 km off the coast of Pembrokeshire in the UK. Blue Gem Wind, a joint venture between TotalEnergies and Simply Blue Group, aim to have the installation fully operational by 2026.

The critical floating platforms will be designed by Principle Power Inc using their ballasted, semi-submersible Windfloat technology, which Bureau Veritas gave approval in principle in 2016. A five-line mooring system will support the three-column platform while its closed loop ballast system accounts for wind changes.

Igor Maere, Hull & Mooring Manager at Blue Gem Wind, said: “Achieving independent verification and certification is an essential part of developing Erebus and we are delighted to be working with BV on this important work scope.”

BV said it will be provide independent verification and project certification, including all the design phases: site condition assessment, design basis evaluation, integrated load analysis and detailed design evaluation for all the components of the floating wind turbines, including the inter-array cables. Its integrated modelling tool Opera will be used to support documentation review.

Beyond the design phases, BV will also certify manufacturing, transport and installation, and commissioning.

Paul Shrieve, Vice President Global Services at Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, said: “We are honoured to be part of this new venture in the Celtic sea, which is essential in meeting the UK 2050 Net-Zero target to mitigate global warming. It is good to see we continue to grow our local engineering and certification capability here in the UK. I am also proud to see our continued leadership in mitigating risks in Marine Renewable Energy, through our expertise and tools such as Opera, giving our clients the peace of mind they need when de-risking these complex projects.”