Construction at the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm reached a significant milestone last week as installation of the 116 turbine foundations has been completed on schedule. Work to install the first foundations began in early February and was put on hold, as planned, during the Black Bream spawning season between mid-April and July. Since then two jack-up vessels – the MPI Discovery and Pacific Orca – have worked tirelessly to install the foundations using a 1,000 tonne crane to lift each foundation upright before lowering and piling it into the seabed with a hydraulic hammer. The yellow transition pieces have also been fitted onto the foundations and sit approximately 20 metres above sea level ready to hold the turbines. Over the next few months the team will make the final preparations for the turbine installation, due to commence in spring and continue throughout 2017. Work will also continue to progress on the offshore cabling and substation, a vital infrastructure which will eventually bring the power generated by the turbines ashore. Chris Tomlinson, E.ON Development and Stakeholder Manager for the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm, said, “We’re pleased and proud to have reached this project milestone and we appreciate the patience of local residents [...]