Wednesday 14 October 2020

GDG advises Irish Government Department on future of national seabed mapping programme

Specialist geotechnical engineering consultancy, Gavin & Doherty Geosolutions (GDG), has been selected to undertake an important scope of work within the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) sector in Ireland. Commissioned by Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) - a Division of The Department of the Environment Climate and Communications (DECC) - GDG will undertake an independent and external review of data and information requirements of ORE, in the context of the INFOMAR seabed mapping programme. To be selected and endorsed by the DECC to undertake such an advisory role is clear recognition of GDG as experts in this area of data use and analysis. INFOMAR is a DECC-funded joint programme between the Geological Survey Ireland and the Marine Institute, surveying unmapped marine territory and creating a range of integrated mapping products of the physical, chemical, and biological features.

GDG will examine INFOMAR’s current outputs and capabilities, highlighting areas where additional value may be added to support the development of ORE in Ireland. This refers specifically to Offshore wind but will also address other relevant technologies and associated activities.

The review will identify the optimum method of using the existing datasets, as well as identifying means of informing the programme in such a way as to address the industry needs in the short term and the long term. This assessment will be completed against a 2030 baseline (target installation 5GW/h of ORE – 2020PfG), with short term referring to fixed bottom wind industry needs pre-2030, and long term referring to floating wind industry needs pre and post-2030. Recommendations will be provided for internal use, to help inform the development requirements of the INFOMAR programme’s evolution in the future.

INFOMAR represents an incredible resource for the industry and it is essential that this resource is utilised to its optimum capacity. The recommendations will also examine the value proposition for future site surveys and investigations associated with the availability of baseline geophysical and geotechnical data for reference. The outputs will:

• > Establish whether enhanced programme engagement with ORE sector would support the development of ORE in Ireland
• > Provide recommendations that would point towards the optimising of the value from existing data and information resources, including the programme’s capacity to address future educational and knowledge requirements of the ORE sector
• > Examine likely development pathways where INFOMAR data would hold relevance.