The€6m ($8.3m) project, part of UK government-industry body the Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) scheme, will see a trio of “vibro-driven” monopiles benchmarked againstthree driven in with conventional hydraulic hammering at an onshoredemonstration project near Cuxhaven, on the German North Sea.

Thepilot, which gets underway next month, aims to show the lateral load capacityof full-depth vibration-installed piles in sandy seabeds is as robust as thatof hammered-in monopiles, while having lower noise levels, being quicker andmore cost-effective, and causing less fatigue and stress to the foundations.

“The