EcoGBF

As offshore wind continues to expand, turbines are getting larger and new sites are being explored in deeper, harsher waters. This creates a pressing need for foundation solutions that are not only robust and cost-effective, but also environmentally sustainable. Traditional designs such as monopiles and jackets rely on pile driving, which poses challenges in areas with hard seabeds or boulders.

Moreover, pile driving generates significant underwater noise and disrupts marine ecosystems. The fabrication and installation of XXXL monopiles for next-generation turbines in deep water present major technical and logistical hurdles. Conventional gravity-based foundations (GBFs) are typically large concrete structures, which are heavy, non-modular, and logistically challenging to fabricate, transport and install.

EcoGBF is an innovative Economical/Ecological Gravity-Based Foundation made of steel. It addresses several key challenges of existing foundation types and offers a viable solution for large turbines (+22 MW) in water depths up to 70 metres. The project aims to assess both the technical and environmental potential of EcoGBF.

By combining a steel gravity-based structure with modular construction and nature-inclusive design features, EcoGBF seeks to eliminate the need for piling, simplify logistics, and support marine biodiversity. In short, it strives to deliver both structural performance and added economic and ecological value.

The project unites a multidisciplinary consortium of partners (SubSea Structural Technologies (3ST), HAEDES, Jan De Nul, Iemants, and Multi.Engineering) with complementary expertise in engineering, fabrication, offshore operations, and environmental assessment. 

Together, the team is investigating the structural performance of the EcoGBF concept and its practical implementation, from manufacturing to offshore deployment.

In addition to engineering development, the project includes research into nature-inclusive scour protection, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of sediment and flow behaviour, and the development of tools to assess ecosystem services and carbon footprint.

These combined efforts aim to provide a clear, data-driven understanding of EcoGBF’s potential as a next-generation foundation for offshore wind, offering both technical robustness and environmental value.