SLPE

SLPE provides engineering consultancy services for offshore renewables and the oil and gas industries. Founded in 2010 yet boasting a legacy of 35 years of offshore engineering experience from its former existence as part of SLP Engineering, SLPE has a long track record of successful offshore project delivery that relates to foundations, substructures, modules and facilities. Since 2010, SLPE has emerged as a leader in design and project consultancy for the offshore renewables industry.

With the ever-growing concern to uphold sustainability and the shift of more companies towards net-zero goals and the protection of the environment, renewables are an invaluable resource for alternative forms of energy that has been under continuous research in the past few years. By specialising in advice for the design of offshore renewables and, more specifically, offshore wind projects, SLPE is at the heart of the sustainability initiative and supports its customers with valuable, up-to-date consultations for smooth project operation and innovative solutions.

Integrated structural and geotechnical engineering services

SLPE comprises a team of expert engineers who develop designs for offshore wind developers and turnkey contractors and offers continuous support throughout the projects. SLPE has proven its leading presence as a consulting agency for the offshore renewables industry, thus highlighting its impact on environmentally friendly projects and solutions with state-of-the-art software and analysis methods for integrated structure-soil behaviour.

This includes the development and deployment of technology with integrated software for structural and geotechnical analyses in conformity with the UK, European and international code and standards. Solutions focus on achieving safe and robust designs whilst reducing the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) for offshore wind foundations, which brings cost efficiency and benefits investment planning.

Services for renewables and wind projects provided by SLPE include:

• Feasibility and conceptual design
• Front-end engineering design (FEED)
• Detailed design
• Support to material procurement
• Construction engineering for site supports and heavy lifts/roll-ups
• Load-out engineering
• Design for transport, lifting and installation
• Marine engineering
• Installation supervision
• Liaison with the T&I contractor, certifying authority and marine warranty surveyor

SLPE offshore substation solutions for renewables

In line with SLPE’s focus on renewables, the company offers pioneering designs for support structures and foundations for offshore substations. Wind energy is at the core of SLPE’s design projects, and the company has successfully delivered concept and detailed designs for a variety of offshore substations in the UK and Europe. Since 2010, SLPE has delivered a variety of substructure types suited to each project’s unique requirements, including pre and post-piled jackets, jackets with suction caisson foundations and monopiles.

Through its collaboration with leading fabricators and marine contractors, SLPE adopts a holistic approach in the conceptualisation and design of offshore wind turbine foundations, minimising the LCOE for its customers whilst delivering safe-by design, practical and sustainable solutions.

Among a series of project achievements, SLPE has recently been awarded the detailed design for Hollandse Kust (West Alpha), an offshore jacket structure that will weigh approximately 2,200t and will be installed in a water depth of 28m. The engineering team at SLPE is working in collaboration with Smulders in Belgium to deliver the project, whose robust and innovative design is backed by top-quality geotechnical and structural engineering.

Offshore wind turbine foundations

SLPE actively contributes to the research, development and innovation of offshore wind turbine foundations. With a highly-skilled engineering team and advanced in-house software, coupled with know-how of the latest analysis techniques, SLPE continues to push the envelope in the design of offshore wind turbine foundations.

Research and development (R&D) are crucial to offshore wind turbine foundation projects for further understanding the materials and the environment, including factors such as complex ground conditions, water depths and turbine/structure/environment dynamics.

SLPE has recently completed the conceptual design of wind turbine foundations for the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm using in-house software to optimise monopile steelwork configurations at each unique position within the wind farm site. For this project, SLPE employed the novel PISA method for geotechnical design, which resulted in pile weight savings and reduced pile penetration depths.

Design solutions for the oil and gas industry

For over 30 years, SLPE has been supplying innovative designs for the oil and gas industry, which include engineering and support services for the procurement, construction and installation of a variety of platforms. SLPE also offers project management and technical support to its customers and ensures that projects are feasible, sustainable, cost-effective and delivered on time.

Oil and gas industry services provided by SLPE include the design of topsides and jackets, minimum facility platforms, accommodation modules and process decks, as well as midwater arch buoys (MWAs) and anchors.