Inventory Proposal for Gravity-Based Support Structures in Offshore Wind Farms

Offshore wind farms will experience significant growth over the coming decades. To ensure its sustainable development, it will be necessary to reduce the operation and maintenance costs associated with this technology, among other actions. To this end, the foundation is the most important structural element with the greatest economic impact on the project. To guarantee its correct operation and structural safety over time, an adequate maintenance plan informed by a comprehensive inventory is necessary.In this article, an inventory proposal for gravity-based support structures (GBS) is made. It is developed through a simple six-step methodology supported by data collected and analysed from seventeen wind farms with GBS foundations.The result indicates an inventory proposal for GBS foundations, with an innovative general structure that is organised in levels, and applicable to the most common GBS types currently used in the offshore wind energy sector. A procedure was created to complete the inventory, as well as an organisational structure for the man-agement of the data generated during the process. The applicability and functionality of the inventory were tested against four case studies, and one of its potential applications in the field of maintenance strategies is shown.