Burbo Bank Offshore Wind Farm
In 2006 MT Højgaard pile-drove and drilled 25 giant foundations for an offshore wind farm off the west coast of Britain. A specially made rubber flange came to play a central role in the offshore task.
In 2006, we constructed 25 very large foundations for Burbo Bank offshore wind farm off the west coast of Britain.
The wind turbine foundations consist of large tubular steel piles, called monopiles. Depending on local conditions the monopiles are pile-driven or drilled into the sea bed.
Rubber flange developed by us
One of the most important parts of the foundation work was a rubber flange developed by us.
The specially designed rubber flange was used to cement together the two steel parts that comprise the whole foundation. The flange had to be strong enough yet flexible enough to carry the 22 tons of mortar used for the cementing. The rubber flange ensured that the mortar did not flow out onto the sea bed.
More specially developed solutions
The rubber flange is just one of the many specially made parts that we have developed in its years of work with offshore wind turbine foundations. Another example is a simple hydraulic system that requires only one operator to ensure that the gigantic foundations stand absolutely straight.
We have played a significant part in developing the technology and equipment necessary to hammer several hundred tons of foundation pile 20 metres into the sea bed with a precision which ensures that the offshore wind turbine stands no more than 0.25 degrees from absolute vertical.
Experienced contractor with offshore projects
We are one of the world's most experienced contractors for offshore wind turbine foundations. That experience was altogether beneficial to the construction of Burbo Bank offshore wind farm.