SSE Renewables’ Setanta Offshore Wind Farm Survey Delivered using Cutting Edge Uncrewed Technology

XOCEAN, the world’s leading provider of carbon-neutral ocean data, recently completed a survey of the seabed for SSE Renewables at the proposed Setanta Wind Park site, formally Braymore Wind Park, off the east coast of Ireland.  Headquartered in Co. Louth, XOCEAN has delivered marine surveys to the world’s leading offshore wind development companies throughout Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific using its fleet of Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs).

In September a fleet of XOCEAN Uncrewed Surface Vessel’s (USVs) completed a geophysical survey of the seabed at SSE Renewables proposed 1GW Setanta Wind Park site, off the coasts of counties Louth, North Dublin and Meath. This  survey, utilising multi-beam echo-sounder sensors will be used to characterise the seabed in this area of the Irish Sea and will provide the project team with a clearer understanding of conditions on the site, supporting SSE Renewables to deliver Setanta in line with the Irish Government’s 2030 ambitions of 7GW of offshore wind. The uncrewed vessels used form part of XOCEAN’s global fleet of 25 USVs, which are remotely operated by a network of qualified mariners and data analysts across the world, ensuring safe navigation and allowing for real-time insights and faster data-processing.

XOCEAN has, to date, completed over 70,000 hours of survey for world leading energy companies and delivered over 500 missions in 19 jurisdictions globally since commencing operations in 2019. So far in 2022, XOCEAN has delivered over 20,000 hours of carbon neutral uncrewed survey operations to offshore wind farms - supporting the development of 21 GW of new offshore wind capacity. The ocean data company has doubled its headcount to over 200 people as its carbon-neutral approach drives decarbonisation in the offshore industry and delivers on its sustainability goal of avoiding the emission of one million tonnes of carbon within the next five years.

In September the nine North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC) countries agreed to develop at least 260GW of offshore wind by 2050. SSE Renewables is currently progressing a 3GW pipeline of offshore wind energy in Irish waters by 2030, including the 1GW Setanta Wind Park off the east coast.

XOCEAN’s USVs offer significant benefits compared to traditional survey providers -  including safety with no personnel offshore, 1,000 times lower emissions compared to traditional survey vessels and efficiency with 24/7 operations, which delivers significant economic savings for customers. As Ireland and her neighbours in Europe focus to develop the offshore wind sector to assist in delivering energy security for the region, XOCEAN is well-placed to support given the recent expansion of its fleet and the ease and agility with which it can be mobilized to survey locations anywhere in the world.

Martin Sweeney, Lead Project Manager, SSE Renewables said: “We are constantly looking for innovative ways in which we can develop our portfolio of renewable assets. XOCEAN’s vessels will allow us to carry out our work in a more efficient way, and most importantly for SSE Renewables - in the safest, carbon neutral way possible. Completing this geophysical survey was a key milestone for Setanta Wind Park ahead of our Maritime Area Consent application which will be submitted to MARA next year. Securing this data puts us well on the way to delivering the 1GW Setanta project by 2030, and we’re really interested to see how this sort of work can help improve our industry, accelerate delivery and look forward to working with XOCEAN in future.”