The gravity base structure (GBS) which will be used for Minesto’s first tidal energy installation in Holyhead Deep in Wales has been transported to Holyhead.
The GBS, manufactured by Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK, was towed up the River Mersey from the dry dock in Birkenhead, Liverpool and along the coast of North Wales to arrive safe and sound in Holyhead on Wednesday, March 21, 2018.
The concrete base measures 21.5 meters x 12.75 meters x 4.7 meters, the manufacturer said.
The next step is to fit cable chutes before the start of the installation at the site in Holyhead Deep, the Swedish tidal energy developer Minesto said.
Once the structure is at the bottom of the sea in Holyhead Deep, a Minesto device will be secured to a mooring structure on the foundation.
Offshore installation of the 500kW Deep Green device and the surrounding test setup infrastructure is expected to begin in April 2018, with system functionality and capacity tests to be conducted in the second quarter, Minesto informed earlier.