The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has given the go-ahead for testing and monitoring of a pioneering green energy Demonstrator model this summer at Falmouth Harbour’s Bay test-site for offshore renewables energy projects (FaBTest). Now consent has been received the device will be deployed within weeks using local marine contractors.
Southampton-based Buoyant Production Technologies (BPT) now has an MMO license to deploy the small-scale Demonstrator at the FaBTest site between June and October – testing designs and technology destined to support Floating Offshore Wind, subsea carbon capture and other offshore industries.
The Demonstrator’s steel cylindrical hull has been built locally at APCL A&P Falmouth, while the topside equipment assembled in Haydock has been integrated onto the Demonstrator in Falmouth in the past week.
Once installed at the FaBTest site in Falmouth Bay the Demonstrator unit will extend 8m above the waterline and should not be visible from the shore 4.5km away.
Falmouth Harbour CEO Miles Carden says, “Falmouth Harbour are looking forward to welcoming this pioneering device to our FaBTest site in Falmouth Bay this summer and it’s exciting to note that this is offshore renewable energy actually happening and delivering local value and jobs.
“The device deployment is a great example of Falmouth Harbour’s broad capabilities to support innovation in marine technologies. We look forward to working closely with all partners involved to ensure the success of this important project and we hope to see many renewable energy devices tested here over the coming years.”
The primary objective during the summer’s testing is to demonstrate the offshore performance of the Demonstrator’s novel hull design, whilst several of the technologies it incorporates require offshore testing for proof of concept before they can be applied commercially.
David Steed, General Manager of BPT says, “We are very excited to be testing the Demonstrator unit at FaBTest. The offshore testing is a key milestone in our development programme, enabling us to prove the design concept will meet our clients’ needs. FaBTest was selected over other UK test sites due to the ideal offshore wave environment, the track record of past successful testing on the site and the close availability of experienced contractors, such as the fabrication facility at APCL A&P Falmouth.”
BPT will be testing a novel software tool, SAFEMOOR – a machine learning tool which evaluates the real-time performance of a mooring system, optimising inspection and maintenance. Developed by BPT’s parent company, Crondall Energy Consultants, with support from the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, SAFEMOOR will be deployed on future Floating Offshore Wind projects to monitor mooring and cable system integrity.
APCL A&P Falmouth’s Commercial Director Giles Francis says, “APCL A&P Falmouth is delighted to be supporting Crondall Energy with this innovative project, allowing us to demonstrate our fabrication expertise. We look forward to seeing the BPT Demonstrator project successfully completing its trials in the Falmouth Bay Test Site.”
Once this summer’s tests are complete, the Demonstrator will be removed from the FaBTest site and the hull designs will be scaled up to support future unmanned offshore energy projects, including floating substations for offshore wind projects, power/control hubs for offshore carbon capture & storage, and hydrocarbon projects.
BPT’s project is being supported by Falmouth Harbour, Celtic Sea Power, Petronas, the Net Zero Technology Centre, Lloyds Register and Schneider Electric.
Chief Operations Officer at Celtic Sea Power Ltd, Matt Hodson, says, “Celtic Sea Power have been really pleased to support BPT through the consenting phase of this exciting project. We see this as an excellent example of building on previous work and critical relationships in order to bring forward industry innovations capable of supporting future offshore clean energy projects.”
The FaBTest site itself is an area of seabed in Falmouth Bay, within Falmouth Harbour Authority’s Waters, which has been leased by the Harbour from the Crown Estate to allow testing of devices related to renewable energy and associated equipment. FaBTest has already been used to test Wave Energy devices and now will be testing offshore renewables devices and ancillary equipment. Recent financial support from Cornwall Council’s Enterprise Zone fund has been invaluable to support the test site over the last few years.
Organisations interested in testing their renewable energy-related projects at FaBTest should contact Falmouth Harbour. For more information on this and other work of Falmouth Harbour including its wide range of commercial and environmental initiatives see www.falmouthharbour.co.uk
