Offshore geotechnical engineering

Offshore wind turbines are capable of providing high power and are an essential building block of the German energy transition. The construction and upgrading of offshore wind farms in the North and Baltic Seas is therefore promoted strongly. ‘alpha ventus’, inaugurated in 2010, was Germany’s first offshore wind farm – and the first worldwide to be operated under open-sea conditions. From its Hamburg office, the BAW has advised the German Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), the government agency responsible for the German Exclusive Economic Zone, on issues of legal approvals since the beginning of the successful pilot project.

Our focus is on providing technical consulting regarding the preliminary investigation of potential sites for offshore wind farms in accordance with the German Offshore Wind Energy Act (WindSeeG) as well as on approval procedures for offshore wind farms and installations towards the coast required to connect them to the grid. These consultations address areas such as ground investigations, geotechnical laboratory testing, recommendations for foundation engineering and specialist geotechnical planning and verification management. The latter also includes alternative verification methods such as the observational method in accordance with Eurocode 7. Furthermore, the BAW is actively involved in standardisation work in the field of offshore geotechnical engineering and in updating the BSH’s standards. In addition to our own research on these topics, we provide support for universities and other institutions by engaging in research cooperation.