TGS wraps up survey for Europe’s first commercial-scale floating wind farm

TGS has completed an ultra-high-resolution 3D (UHR3D) seismic survey for the Green Volt floating offshore wind farm in Scotland, developed by a consortium of Flotation Energy and Vårgrønn.

According to TGS, the record-breaking survey integrated Multibeam Echo Sounder (MBES), Sub-bottom Profiler (SBP), Side Scan Sonar (SSS), and magnetometer data into a unified dataset.

This dataset will support geological analysis, inform site planning, and improve risk evaluation for the Green Volt floating offshore wind farm development.

This survey is the largest of its kind to date, setting new benchmarks in channel count and streamer spread, with the Ramform Vanguard towing more channels than any previous UHR3D survey and matching typical 4D GeoStreamer performance, equivalent to deploying 100 kilometers of 3D GeoStreamer in terms of samples per second, said TGS.

The 560 MW Green Volt floating offshore wind farm was one of the 13 offshore wind projects Crown Estate Scotland selected in 2023, in the world’s first leasing round designed to enable offshore wind energy to directly supply offshore oil and gas platforms.

The project is planned to feature 35 floating wind turbines and is expected to produce its first power in 2029.

In 2024, Green Volt secured onshore and offshore planning consents and was the only floating wind project awarded a Contract for Difference in the UK’s Allocation Round 6 (AR6).

Recently, Worley secured a Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) contract for the onshore substation. A team from Worley’s Aberdeen office will lead the FEED, overseeing an anticipated twelve months of engineering work.