Summer 2013, Osiris Projects and CMACS, Lincs Offshore Wind Farm, Post-Construction Geophysical and Benthic Surveys

Description

Osiris Projects were commissioned in October 2013 by Centrica Renewable Energy Ltd. (CREL) to carry out post-construction surveys on the LINCS Offshore Wind Farm (OWF) and associated export cable route. There were six key elements of the surveys:  LINCS OWF repeat pre-construction benthic baseline survey  LINCS OWF drill arising mounds benthic survey  LINCS OWF export cables  LINCS OWF site post-construction survey focussing on the Inter Array Cables (IAC)  LINCS OWF site post-construction survey focussing on the No Cable Zones (NCZ)  LINCS OWF site scour surveys at turbines LS61 – LS63. The aims of the surveys were to:  To repeat the pre-construction benthic baseline survey (2010) in order to satisfy Marine Licence Annex 1.  To sample four of the sixteen drill arising mounds present on the site.  To ground truth any distinct seabed features consistent with Sabellaria reef formations, identified via SSS within the No Cable Zones (NCZ).  To undertake a 100% coverage swath bathymetric survey around a sample of three adjacent turbines, 61, 62 and 63.  To assess the extent if any changes to bed form morphology along the interarray cable routes.