MPI Discovery Completes Rampion Foundation Installation

The wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV), MPI Discovery, has completed foundation installation works at the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm off the south coast of England. Working closely together with Swire Blue Ocean’s Pacific Orca, MPI Discovery installed the last foundation on 8 November.

Due to the black-bream-spawning season, installation activities were halted in late April as planned and only restarted at the beginning of July. Over the two phases of this operation, MPI Discovery has installed a total 69 monopiles and transition pieces, with the remaining 47 foundations being installed by Swire Blue Ocean’s Pacific Orca.

During the coming weeks, MPI Discovery will be re-mobilised, prior to recommencing work at the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm, this time installing wind turbines. This work is scheduled to commence in spring 2017 and continue through the rest of next year.

The 400MW Rampion Offshore Wind Farm is being built by E.ON, the UK Green Investment Bank plc and Canadian energy company Enbridge. It will consist of 116 foundations and turbines and is due for completion in 2018.