Proven and innovative marine technology solutions for the offshore renewable energy industry

With 38 years’ experience in the energy services sector, Ashtead Technology has a long-established reputation as the go-to partner for underwater operations.

Using our technology and know-how, needed to solve underwater survey, mechanical and asset integrity challenges, Ashtead Technology supports offshore renewables projects from consent & planning and project development, through to construction & installation, operations & maintenance, and repower & decommissioning work scopes.

Our growing track record in the renewables sector is attributed to our technical capability and the breadth of our equipment fleet combined with our agile, highly responsive, and cost-effective approach to successfully delivering our customers’ marine energy campaigns.

Specifically for the construction and installation phase, Ashtead Technology has supported offshore wind providers and tier one service contractors with various custom engineering solutions for their unique operational challenges. In 2021, Ashtead Technology was contracted by Saipem to support the foundations installation phase of the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm, in the Firth of Forth. We were initially awarded a contract for drilled borehole inspection and based on the successful delivery of the initial stages of this campaign was subsequently awarded additional scopes to support borehole internal casing cleaning, grouted pile installation and subsequent grout

level monitoring. For the borehole inspection work scope, we used our in-house design and assembly expertise to develop a bespoke inspection tool that could be deployed from a vessel to inspect, survey, and verify successful completion of the drilled sockets. In addition, utilising existing in-house tooling, we engineered solutions for dredging the socket base, jet cleaning the upper socket casing, and removing any debris remaining inside the casing anulus prior to grouting operations commencing. The grout monitoring scope involved the development of a bespoke autonomous monitoring system with sacrificial grout sensor arrays to enable real time monitoring of the grouting process taking place below seabed level. The system provides remote positive verification of grout level to the correct elevation to ensure foundation integrity is met.

More recently, Ashtead Technology was approached to provide an engineered solution for a specific challenge our customer had on installed wind turbine generator jacket foundations. Using our extensive in-house expertise and rapid response capability, we designed, manufactured, and successfully tested a custom tooling solution for honing the internal bore of the j-tube within four weeks of order confirmation. For this project, we provided a fully integrated service supply including the design, manufacture, test, mobilisation, and provision of offshore operation personnel helping to reduce overall project cost and time.

Our latest award is for the design, development, and mobilisation of a socket inspection technology solution for the construction phase of the Courseulles-sur-Mer offshore wind farm, which is under development near Calvados, Normandy, France. The 45km² wind farm is expected to be commissioned in 2024.

Commenting on our recent awards and growing track record in the offshore wind space, Ross MacLeod, Ashtead Technology’s Integrated Projects Director, said: “Offshore renewable energy is an increasingly important part of our business now and in the future, and we continue to support our customers to meet the growing demand for cleaner, safer and more efficient energy production using our wealth of knowledge, skills and technical expertise.”

Read the latest issue of the OGV Energy magazine HERE