Offshore Wind HDD

Michels Trenchless, Inc. used horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to install 2,589 feet of 24-inch-diameter landfall conduit for a 132 MW offshore wind farm.

Offshore, Michels utilized a lift boat to install offshore piles and goal posts to support the 48-inch surface casing that was used to contain drilling fluid returns. Michels also used a complete HDD setup on the lift boat. The pipe tow and pipe pull-in operation lasted more than 36 hours from the time the pipe was launched into the water in Rhode Island until it was pulled to its final position.

Onshore, Michels worked on a restrictive site ranging from 16 feet to 32 feet in width and surrounded by noise barriers.

The 12-turbine wind farm is designed to produce enough clean energy to power 70,000 homes.