The braced-caisson concept, widely used in the offshore oil industry, had its maiden deployment in 2011 mated to a met mast for the UK's giant 4GW Hornsea zone development.
Made up of three slanted tubular steel legs welded to a central column called a caisson pile, the twisted jacket is fixed to the seabed with raked piles.
The jacket's geometry is designed to transfer the sideways forces on a turbine from the wind down the sloped legs and into the seafloor, so that the soil is “more efficient” in supporting the structure and machine above.
