Global testing, inspection and certification firm, Bureau Veritas (BV), has been selected to undertake the project certification of Erebus, the first offshore windfarm in the Celtic Sea in Wales and one of the largest floating offshore wind projects in the world.
Located 44 kilometres from the Pembrokeshire coastline in water that is up to 75 metres deep, the Erebus project aims to be fully operational by 2026 and will deliver up to 100MW of clean energy, powering 93 000 homes per year.
It is a joint venture by TotalEnergies and Simply Blue Group named Blue Gem Wind.
Principle Power Inc will design the floating platforms, based on the latest generation of their Windfloat technology.
This floater concept received an “Approval in Principle” from BV in 2016.
The ballasted, semi-submersible platform supports latest-generation multi-megawatt wind turbine generators.
The three-column platform is moored with a five-line catenary mooring system and is equipped with a closed-loop ballast system to compensate for changes in mean wind velocity and direction.
BV will be providing independent verification and project certification in line with regulatory requirements.
The scope of the evaluation includes 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.
BV’s certification scope is planned to include all post-design phases - from manufacturing to operations, including transportation and installation (T&I) and commissioning.
