Bridging Knowledge between Old and New Energy Projects-Paper

Paper

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The paper examines how offshore wind has built on roughly 80 years of oil-and-gas experience, while developing geotechnical methods that can now benefit both sectors. Although their structures and loading differ, old and new energy projects share challenges involving foundation performance, lateral pile response, installation, and accurate soil characterization.<br /><br />Offshore wind has accelerated the evolution of foundation concepts, from fixed-bottom monopiles and jackets toward floating systems inspired by oil-and-gas platforms. Its large, geographically extensive projects have also driven advances in site investigation, including high-resolution 3D seismic surveys, enhanced seabed cone penetration testing, integrated geological models, and large-scale field testing. Jack-up leg penetration tests at Dogger Bank helped calibrate soil-strength estimates for monopile design, narrowing the estimated CPT factor substantially.<br /><br />The paper reviews progress in axial pile capacity methods, lateral pile modelling, and driveability prediction. It notes that established pile-installation methods were developed mainly for slender oil-and-gas piles and may not accurately predict resistance for large-diameter wind monopiles. Further calibration using installation data is needed.<br /><br />A key case study describes pile tests at Rødby, Denmark, undertaken to address hard-clay installation risks at the Dudgeon wind farm. Tests showed that an external pile shoe reduced driving resistance, while lateral load tests found no detrimental effect on pile stiffness. The results supported successful monopile installation and add valuable hard-clay data to the lateral pile-test database.<br /><br />The authors conclude that field testing, structural and environmental monitoring, and multidisciplinary collaboration are essential to improving foundation design. Continued cooperation between oil-and-gas and renewable-energy developers can strengthen solutions for both sectors, including as offshore projects move into deeper water and floating technologies advance.

Keywords

offshore wind

oil and gas experience

geotechnical methods

foundation performance

lateral pile response

soil characterization

monopile design

site investigation

pile installation

floating offshore structures