Scour protection for supersized monopiles at Coastal Virginia
We designed the innovative scour protection for the foundations at Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, which will last for decades and withstand hurricane force conditions.
When fully constructed in 2026, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind will deliver 2.6 GW and consist of 176 turbines and three offshore substations, making it will be the biggest offshore wind farm in the US to date. And with supersize monopile foundations and tricky weather conditions, it is also one of the largest and most challenging scour protection projects we have ever undertaken.
Scour protection using rock around the base of foundations is fundamental to ensuring the safety and longevity of wind farms. However, it is also vital that designs are optimised to minimise the volume of rock required, which reduces cost and the impact on the benthic environment.
The team at HR Wallingford have long been the go-to experts for scour protection because of our expertise, world-leading testing facilities and CFD modelling capabilities. This meant that the team at DEME knew they were in safe hands when they asked us to design scour protection for Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind. This challenging work has furthered our understanding of scour for supersize monopiles and has helped steer our ongoing research activities.
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