30 November 2022
Energia Renewables in collaboration with Green Rebel has launched a three-part mini docuseries about geophysical surveys which took place as part of the North Celtic Sea offshore wind project. The three short videos take viewers on a journey through the different phases of the geophysical survey, which is a non-intrusive analysis of the seabed and the sediment below. There is a strong focus on the environmental aspect of this work, a key priority for Energia Renewables, and the continuing engagement with the fishing community which proved successful throughout the survey work.
Green Rebel, an Irish data company servicing the offshore wind sector, was appointed by Energia to carry out the surveys for their North Celtic Sea renewable energy project off the coast of Co. Waterford earlier this year.
The North Celtic Sea project is one of the most advanced offshore energy projects in the south-east and anywhere in Ireland. Subject to progressing through statutory approvals, construction could commence in 2026 in time to meet Ireland’s 2030 climate action targets. The project will generate clean electricity for over 500,000 Irish homes and businesses.
Speaking about the progress on the project and the launch of the docuseries Eoin McPartland, Offshore Manager, Energia Renewables said, “We recently announced the completion of the North Celtic Sea geophysical surveys, an important milestone in the development of the project which is one of Ireland’s leading offshore projects. This docuseries is a chance to reflect on how far we’ve progressed and to further inform local communities across Waterford what’s involved in a project of this scale. The series was also an opportunity to acknowledge the importance of the marine environment to local communities in the region, the fishing community and all those involved in the North Celtic Sea project. We were delighted to work with Green Rebel to create these informative videos to help tell the story of how these surveys were carried out and how important they are in the continuing development of the projects.
The videos also feature insights from leading members of Green Rebel involved in the geophysical surveys. Jared Peters, Head of Marine, Green Rebel said, “We were delighted to partner with Energia on the geophysical survey campaign earlier this year on the North Celtic Sea project. This project was carried out and managed entirely by our Green Rebel team of experts. This included offshore work aboard our vessel, the Roman Rebel, by our vessel crew and survey team, and onshore processing and reporting by our data processors and geophysicists based in Cork. This project will play an important role in decarbonising Ireland’s energy system and it’s great to see Energia supporting local Irish supply chain and coastal communities. As in all our geophysical campaigns, we collected site information using non-invasive sensors while following relevant guidelines and working closely with other stakeholders. The data deliverables and interpretations that we provide to Energia will help to characterise the environment and inform engineering decisions.”
The videos also give a taste of what life is like on board the survey vessel which operates 24-hours a day. The project team of surveyors, geo-scientists, crew, Fishery Liaison Officer and marine mammal observer, carried out this survey over a number of weeks, with the Roman Rebel vessel returning to dock every 10 days for refuelling.
Green Rebel is headquartered in Cork and provides site investigation and data services to the offshore wind sector. Energia Renewables is one of Ireland’s leading and most experienced renewable energy companies.
The first of the 3 videos in the series can be found on Energia's Youtube channel and the remaining videos will be released over the coming week and posted on both Energia Group and Green Rebel's social media accounts.
Video 1 - North Celtic Project Overview
Video 2 - North Celtic Project Geophysical Survey Overview
Video 3 - How data informs decisions
