Geotechnical survey underway at Ørsted’s Isle of Man offshore wind farm

A geotechnical seabed survey has started at the project site of Ørsted’s Mooir Vannin Offshore Wind Farm in the Isle of Man’s territorial waters.

Ørsted has commissioned GEO to carry out the work six to twelve nautical miles off the coast of Maughold, the area for lease granted to the Danish offshore wind developer by the Isle of Man government. GEO’s Connector survey vessel will be used for the geotechnical site investigation.

Depending on the weather, the survey is expected to take six to eight days to complete. The cost, which will be funded entirely by Ørsted, will be about £2 million (approximately €2.3 million).

The survey will test areas of the seabed to determine the geotechnical engineering properties of soils. A total of 20 seafloor Cone Penetration Tests (CPTs) and 20 dissipation tests will be conducted. For the CPT, a small cone with a diameter of around four centimeters is pushed into the seabed to measure the resistance and friction of the different soil layers.

The impact on the seabed is minimal, said Ørsted, as it only impacts a very small, localised area, with the seabed naturally settling back after the test is completed.

“We’re delighted to be working with GEO on the next phase of seabed surveys here in the Isle of Man. Their expertise in conducting offshore surveys is respected across the global energy industry, and we have worked successfully with them on other offshore projects,” said Richard Watson, Technical Director for the Mooir Vannin Offshore Wind Farm.

“The wind farm is of course subject to Isle of Man planning consent. However, it’s essential to gather geotechnical survey now in order to stay on track with all of the work that would be necessary to meet the proposed operational start date in 2031-2033.”

Ørsted plans to develop the first offshore wind farm in the Isle of Man’s territorial waters, off the coast of Maughold Head. The company submitted an application for Marine Infrastructure Consent for the Mooir Vannin Generation Project in March 2025.

The connection point for the up to 1.4 GW offshore wind farm will be in Penwortham, Lancashire, in the UK, and the Douglas area in the Isle of Man.