Part of 'mock' North Sea windfarm built in the Port Of Tyne - Here's why
Part of a North Sea wind farm the size of a ten storey building has been installed at the Port of Tyne.
The team behind the build have explained suppliers will be able to practice work onshore what needs to be completed further out at sea.
The 435-ton ‘mock monopile’ - an exact replica of hundreds being installed at sea by global wind farm leader Orsted - will be used to boost safety, efficiency and expertise in the unforgiving environment off the UK coast.
Luke Bridgman, managing director of Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm - which will be one of the biggest in the world, once constructed, said: “Building anything in the North Sea is challenging and the mock monopile at the Port is going to be a big aid to us.
“It means suppliers can work on it and understand exactly what they’ll be facing in terms of technology and structure.
“The monopile is exact in every detail - it even has toilets and hot and cold-running water, as well as a lift - and it’s there for workers to familiarise themselves with the structure and the type of work they are doing.
“The North Sea is not the best place to be to discover you haven’t brought the right spanner or bit of kit with you- it’s a long way back to get a replacement if you haven’t got one with you!
“So the mock monopile is going to help our operations in many ways; it’s a way of identifying and resolving potential risks before offshore works start, an important part of the construction process.”
The monopiles form the foundations of an offshore wind farm, underpinning the whole structure.
Mads Jørgensen, Orsted offshore installation manager, and a technical specialist, said: “The structure is the top 27metres of a monopile - the bit that first sticks out of the water and makes up about a quarter of the structure above sea level.
“It allows all of the contractors to test and carry out their work and it allows us to enhance our safety procedures and de-risk it.
“One of the very first things we do is to go through how to rescue someone at the top of the structure and safely get them down to the bottom, should the need arise, which is great for the busy year that we have ahead of us in the North Sea.
“We’ve even put the same paint scheme on the monopile to see how it will be affected by the work we do.”
Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm signed a lease agreement for up to 100,000 square metres of land at the port last year.