The deployment of a wave measuring buoy off the Isle of Man is an important step in surveying the site to see if it’s suitable for a wind farm.
Renewable energy company Ørsted is working on developing the Isle of Man’s first offshore wind farm. The buoy will not only record wave action, but also monitor sub-sea temperatures.
Contractor Fugro floated the device earlier this month in the area, which was leased to Ørsted by the Isle of Man government in 2015.
The deployment of Fugro’s Seawatch Midi buoy, is the latest step in the ongoing survey and exploration work at the proposed site – located approximately 6-12 nautical miles off the east coast of the island – to determine its suitability for an offshore wind farm.
John Galloway, Ørsted’s development director, said: “The deployment of this device off the east coast of the Isle of Man is just part of the wide range of surveys that we have been carrying out over the years as we design this project.
“We’re extremely proud that we’ve been able to repurpose and reuse a wave measurement buoy from one of our existing Irish Sea projects – yet another signal of Ørsted’s commitment to sustainability and driving down the cost of offshore wind.”
The addition of a subsea temperature monitoring device to the buoy will gather data for the first time on water temperature to the east of the Isle of Man.
It is hoped in the coming months and years that this data will be used by stakeholders across the Island to track trends and monitor the growing impact on the marine environment from global climate change.
Fugro has over 100 data buoys presently deployed around Europe, including 10 for Ørsted. Fugro and Ørsted have worked together for over 12 years.
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