Arklow Bank

Our client
Airtricity and GE Wind Energy developed  Ireland's first offshore wind project ‘Arklow Bank'.  GE Wind Energy awarded Mammoet van Oord the installation of 7 GE Wind 3.6 Mw offshore turbines on the Arklow Bank, located approximately 10 km off the coast of Arklow.

Our work
Mammoet Van Oord has been responsible for the load-out, offshore transport and the installation of seven  foundations and  3.6 Mw turbines. All major components were staged at Rosslare Harbour and transported to the project site, 80 km away.

Seven monopiles were driven into the sea bed to a depth of over 30 m. The transition pieces were installed and joined to the pile with a radical connection of ultra high performance grout. The transition piece includes a platform for maintenance workers.

Two tower sections were added on each transition piece and bolted into place, followed by the nacelle. The rotor assemblies were lifted from a horizontal shipping position to the vertical fixing position within strict tolerances.

Our results
The project's wind turbines are the world's first commercial application of over 3 Mw in size. Upon commissioning of the units the project began power production early 2004. The 25 Mw Arklow Bank Offshore Wind Farm will annually provide enough clean, renewable electricity to serve about 16,000 average Irish households, the equivalent of approximately 45% of the households in County Wicklow.