SPT Offshore (www.sptoffshore.com), a Dutch specialist in suction pile anchors and foundations for the offshore oil and gas industry, has unveiled a new type of foundation for offshore wind turbines.

The company said that its suction pile foundations are easy to fabricate and easy to install — and easy to remove if the need arises.

The new foundation combines three (potentially four) suction piles and a mono-tubular pile that sits atop a star-shaped transition piece.

“The mono-tubular has the advantage of being inexpensive to fabricate. Suction piles have the inherent advantage of fast installation and are virtually noise-free (compared to the piling of monopiles).

“The design process is more flexible and allows a shorter fabrication schedule. On top of the suction pile and on top or inside the transition piece, there is room for added ballast, which can be pre-installed or combined with scour protection later.

The installation of a suction pile foundation in dense sand can typically be completed in hours, compared to the days required for a pre-piled jacket and ancillary installation.

At the end of its lifetime, if an offshore wind turbine needs to be removed, it can be done by simply reversing the piling operation. No steel will be left behind, unlike hammered piles, which can only be cut, leaving thousands of tonnes of metal in the sea-bed.”

The company believes that suction piles are suitable for use in 99% of the North Sea and in most shallow-water areas worldwide that have sandy, clay or layered soils.

SPT is carrying out further design work and aims to produce a demonstration structure within the next 12 months.