Following the first phase of investigations, carried out with the MS Geoquip Elena survey vessel, the MV Geoquip Seehorn vessel is now getting to work It will carry out, among other things, a programme of CPTU soundings in a drill rig system and soil sampling. These samples will then be sent to the laboratory, where they will undergo specialised analyses.
In February this year, PGE Baltica, a PGE Group company, signed a contract with Geoquip Marine to conduct a preliminary geotechnical campaign of the seabed for the Baltica 1 offshore wind farm project.
The main objective of the planned geotechnical campaign in the offshore wind farm area is to obtain preliminary information on the geological structure of the study area. The information obtained will be used, among other things, to select the optimum foundation method for the wind turbine towers and to plan the next stages of research, including geotechnical research for foundations.
The contract includes, among other things, CPTU sounding, soil sampling in the area of the farm and laboratory testing. CPTU sounding is a test that involves pressing a piezoelectric cone into the ground with a system of sensors that record soil parameters continuously. The readings from the device will be subject to interpretation to determine the geology of the area. In addition, we plan to carry out laboratory tests on the samples taken.
The Baltica 1 offshore wind farm project, with a capacity of about 0.9 GW, is one of three projects currently being developed by the PGE Group in the Baltic Sea, located about 80 km from the shoreline, approximately at the level of the town of Łeba in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Among other things, the project already has a location permit and connection agreement in place, and the first full year of wind, sea current and wave tests behind it. The Baltica 1 offshore wind project will be commissioned after 2030.
The next two projects are Baltica 2 and Baltica 3, which will form the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm with a total capacity of 2.5 GW. PGE is implementing these projects together with Ørsted. The construction of the Baltica 2 stage with a capacity of about 1.5 GW is planned to be completed by the end of 2027, while the Baltica 3 stage with a capacity of about 1 GW is planned to be completed by 2030.
Source: PGE Baltica