LDD Successfully Completes Relief Drilling Campaign For UK Offshore Wind Farm

LDD, an Acteon company, has successfully completed drilling monopile foundations for RWE Innogy’s Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm, North Wales, UK.

LDD has been working on the project since 2011, when it designed, built and delivered one of the world’s largest reverse circulation drill rigs, the LD5000, within 10 months.

Because of the pile design, the LD5000 – capable of drilling up to 8.0 m – had to relief drill tapered piles using underreamers to fit a 4.6 m gap, then open up to a maximum 6.0 m. The final pile was drilled in April 2014.

LDD specialises in creating underreamers for a variety of projects, and was the only company onsite at the Gwynt y Môr project with the relief drilling capability to drill the maximum diameters to the required depths with under-reamers.

David Knights, project manager, LDD, said, “Gwynt y Môr is the largest offshore wind farm currently under construction in Europe, and is already generating electricity, which is being fed into the National Grid. LDD can now look forward to our next large project with the LD5000, and developing the LD7000, which will continue to showcase our in-depth understanding of large diameter drilling.”

RWE Innogy UK’s Gwynt y Môr’s project director, Toby Edmonds, said, “All 160 foundations are now installed, more than eight miles offshore at Gwynt y Môr. This is a tremendous achievement for the project. We can now focus on installing the final 19 turbines, commissioning the entire array and bringing online a renewable energy source drawn from the UK’s natural resources and capable of supporting approximately 400,000 homes.”

A video of the LD5000, which shows the drill string being added to drill a 6.0 m diameter monopile as part of this project, can be viewed online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEAuE7M0wxE.

About LDD
LDD, an Acteon company, is a specialist marine drilling and construction contractor offering a range of equipment and services associated with installing tubular casings and foundations into the seabed in the near- and offshore marine environments for the oil, gas, renewables, nuclear energy and civil and marine structure and facilities sectors. LDD offers techniques to suit a wide range of foundation and drilling challenges. Equipment is offered on a sale or rental basis. For more information, please visit www.lddrill.com.

About RWE Innogy UK
RWE Innogy UK is the UK subsidiary of RWE Innogy and one of the UK’s leading renewable energy developers and operators. It is committed to developing and operating renewable energy projects to produce sustainable electricity, and operates 22 hydroelectric power schemes, 28 onshore wind farms and two offshore wind farms, including the UK’s first major offshore wind farm, North Hoyle. RWE Innogy UK is a sister company to RWE npower, a leading UK energy company with around 5.4 million customer accounts. RWE Innogy is fully committed to growth in renewable energy across Europe, and the UK continues to play a significant role.

For more information, visit www.rweinnogy.com/uk.

About Acteon
Acteon companies provide mooring, foundation, riser, conductor, flowline and marine electronics products and services supported by strong engineering and project management capabilities. Acteon’s companies are 2H Offshore, Aquatic, CAPE Group, Claxton, Conductor Installation Services (CIS), Core Grouting Services, Fluke Engenharia, InterAct, InterMoor, J2 Subsea, LDD, LM Handling, MENCK, Mirage Machines, NCS Survey, Offshore Installation Services (OIS), Probe, Pulse Structural Monitoring, Seatronics, Subsea Riser Products (SRP) and TEAM Energy Resources. For more information, visit www.acteon.com.

About subsea services
Subsea services are defined as the provision of specialist equipment, services and personnel that can operate from any fit-for-purpose vessel or platform. Acteon’s subsea services offering is unique and addresses operational requirements that support oil and gas asset owners, construction and drilling companies, and vessel owners.