Successful cooperation between Geomines, G-TEC and JIFMAR for the detection and identification of UXO at the Calvados offshore wind farm
The objective of the Calvados offshore wind farm project is to build and operate 64 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 448 MW, which will provide electricity to 630,000 people by 2024, i.e. 90% of the inhabitants of Calvados.
Normandy was heavily impacted during the Second World War by bombing, particularly during the air operations prior to the Allied landings. The risk of finding unexploded munitions being important, a pyrotechnical security was necessary before the beginning of the construction site.
Started in 2021, the UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) detection and identification campaign thus made it possible to guarantee the safety of the area. This campaign was carried out in two stages.
First, our partner G-TEC carried out a geophysical campaign, including the mapping of the seabed with a multibeam echosounder and a side scan sonar, as well as the detection of magnetic anomalies by a system comprising several magnetometers.
Then, thanks to an in-depth analysis of these multi-sensor data, combined with historical and site data, our geophysics department was able to discriminate the anomalies according to their shape, size and magnetic signature.
Thus, the number of anomalies was significantly reduced to a few pUXO (possible unexploded ordnance) targets, during a collaborative iterative process with our client and G-TEC.
These pUXO targets were then visually inspected by a JIFMAR ROV, and identified by our onboard EOD experts. The campaign identified three UXO, which were reported to the French authorities (COMNORD and GPD Manche et Mer du Nord) for safe treatment.
You can also consult the article of our partner G-Tec : G-tec.
