Beam, a leading provider of advanced offshore wind services, has achieved a significant milestone by deploying the world’s first autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) powered by artificial intelligence (AI). This innovative technology was successfully utilized to inspect the jacket structures at the Seagreen offshore wind farm in Scotland, a joint venture involving SSE Renewables, TotalEnergies, and PTTEP.
Traditionally, inspections of offshore wind sites are labor-intensive and time-consuming. However, Beam’s AI-driven AUV can perform intricate underwater tasks autonomously, without human intervention. This advancement promises to enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of underwater inspections and surveys. According to Beam, this cutting-edge approach can reduce inspection timelines by up to 50%, while also improving the quality of inspection data and enabling 3D reconstruction of assets alongside visual information.
Brian Allen, CEO of Beam, emphasized the transformative potential of this technology for the offshore wind industry. He stated, “Looking ahead to the future, the potential of this technology is huge for the industry, and success in these initial projects is vital for us to progress and realize this vision. This wouldn’t be possible without forward-thinking customers like SSE Renewables who are willing to go on the journey with us.”
The Seagreen wind farm, which became operational in October 2023, is notable for being the world’s deepest fixed-bottom offshore wind facility. Beam’s project has yielded valuable insights regarding the application of autonomous technology on offshore wind superstructures. The data collected during the inspections will play a crucial role in maintaining operational reliability at the wind farm, offering insights into marine growth and potential erosion at the foundations.
Matthew Henderson, Technical Asset Manager for Substructure and Asset Lifecycle at SSE Renewables, noted the benefits of Beam’s technology: “Beam’s technology demonstrates that autonomous inspections can reduce the personnel we need to send offshore for planned inspections, while speeding up planned works and collecting rich data sets to inform asset integrity planning. As we move further offshore, and into deeper waters, the ability to collect high-quality inspection data in a low-risk manner is imperative to us delivering our Net Zero Acceleration Programme.”
Looking ahead, Beam plans to deploy this pioneering technology across its fleet of DP2 vessels and underwater vehicles throughout 2025 and 2026, signaling a new era for underwater inspection in the offshore wind sector.
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