The Right Combination of Personnel & Process

Keystone designed the four-pile jacket substructures for the five six-megawatt wind turbines comprising the Block Island Wind Farm (BIWF) off the coast of Rhode Island. The project solidified its spot in history by being the first offshore wind farm to be constructed in North America and demonstrating that offshore wind energy is economically feasible in the US. During the project, Keystone was contracted under the US fabrication contractor and provided on-site engineering, construction support, load-out analysis, and sea fastening support for the structures.  

Keystone’s professional services for the BIWF included conceptual development of a post-piled jacket foundation and separate transition deck, detailed structural and electrical engineering design of foundations, bidding document prep, supplier identification, fabrication yard engineering services, on-site foundation fabrication, construction/installation support, and BSEE documentation prep.

The client recognized Keystone for providing exceptional service and expertise navigating the US regulations. Additionally, Keystone was awarded the prestigious Be Inspired Award for Offshore Innovation and received worldwide media attention for its role in the project.

Keystone leveraged the technology developed for the offshore oil and gas industry to meet the jacket foundation's complex design criteria. The iterative process optimized the jacket design and reduced the amount of steel needed for the substructure while ensuring more than 20 years of design life. As a result, the Block Island Wind Farm jackets are 15 percent lighter than a previous design used for the same wind turbine in the North Sea. The optimized design also reduced installation costs by more than 20 percent compared to traditional monopile construction and can survive hurricane-force winds.

Keystone assisted with a program for mitigation of the HAZOP high priority findings for various offshore platforms. The scope of work included trips offshore to verify the feasibility, detailed engineering and design, and the creation of work packages for the mitigation measures. Additionally, Keystone assisted with the quoting of long-lead equipment to mitigate HAZOP projects.

In 2017, the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica was awarded an approximately $875,000 grant from the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to develop a technical and economic feasibility study and implementation plan for a utility-scale offshore wind farm off the coast of Jamaica. This
study provided export opportunities for US suppliers. Keystone served as the prime contractor for the effort. The work scope included a detailed supply chain, infrastructure development plan, and logistical study for the construction of the wind farm.

The study also included creating a US supplier survey and register of US companies interested in exporting offshore wind-related products and services, as well as an estimation of the potential export value to US companies. The Terms of Reference (TOR) included the following: wind resource assessment, site selection study, wind turbine generator selection, foundation concept design study, logistics study for component delivery, local supply chain and infrastructure assessment, installation/implementation planning, US supply chain- supplier identification and register, stakeholder engagement, and regulatory/permitting review.

Keystone provided engineering and design support services for installing a meteorological tower for a 268MW offshore wind farm in Maryland. The structure included the construction as an intricate steel lattice tower approximately 330 feet (100.6 meters) in height. Additionally, the foundation is a Braced Caisson, a concept based on the Inward Battered Guide Structure (IBGS), commonly known as the “Twisted Jacket”, a patented solution by Keystone.

Keystone's scope of work included the following: conceptual and detailed design of the substructure and tower, electrical subsystems design, mechanical subsystems design, project management services, on-site fabrication support, bidding documentation prep, and installation strategy support.

Keystone provided fabrication support and loadout engineering for Block Island Wind Farm jackets that were fabricated at Gulf Island Fabrication Yard in Houma, LA.

The Keystone team worked closely with the fabricator and installation contractor to provide an efficient design for the support structure which were made in two parts, jackets, and decks.