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The Irish government has awarded a €2.9 million grant in support of a new construction method for marine foundations and anchors. This new technology has the potential to benefit the offshore wind industry by substantially lowering costs and reducing the environmental impact on the ocean environment. The project consortium includes Irish companies Mincon Group plc and Subsea Micropiles Ltd, along with research centres at the University of Limerick and University College of Dublin.
The project will include the development of a new robotic seabed drilling system along with the installation and testing of marine anchors using micropile technology, with initial tests taking place by mid-2022. Micropiling has grown to become a dominant foundation and anchoring solution for onshore infrastructure since the 1950s, as a proven low-noise and low-impact approach to soil interventions. Recent advances in underwater robotics now opens the door for low-cost micropiling to be used in the vast market for offshore piling and anchoring.