Holding the Desert in Place: Ocean HDPE Geocell 712 × 75 mm at Continuum Green Energy’s 99 MW Project, Jaisalmer

Ocean Non Wovens supplied 10,524 sq m of Ocean HDPE Geocell 712 × 75 mm for the 99 MW project of Continuum Green Energy in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Continuum is an Indian renewable energy developer with a portfolio built around wind and wind-solar hybrid generation. In the Thar Desert, the ground is the first thing a project of this size has to control: loose sand moves under wheels, washes out in sudden storms and drifts in the wind. Geocells hold that sand in place.

Project snapshot

Building renewable infrastructure in the Thar

Jaisalmer district has become one of the main centres of India’s renewable energy build-out. It has strong wind, high solar radiation and large tracts of open land, which is why so many utility-scale projects are being developed there.

The same desert that makes the district attractive for generation makes civil works difficult. A 99 MW project spreads across a large footprint, with access roads, equipment foundations, cable routes, drainage paths and pooling infrastructure, and all of it sits on ground that does not stay put. The main challenges are:

• Loose, poorly graded sand: dune and aeolian sand has almost no cohesion, so it ruts and shoves under vehicle loads and slumps on any slope.
• Wind erosion: strong seasonal winds strip exposed surfaces and pile sand against structures.
• Short, intense storms: annual rainfall is low, but when rain does come it often falls in heavy bursts that cut gullies across bare ground.
• Extreme temperatures: summer surface temperatures can exceed 45°C, with wide swings between day and night, which is hard on any material left exposed.
• Scarce aggregate: good crushed stone often has to be hauled long distances, which adds cost to every road and hardstand.

A geocell system answers most of these by turning the local sand itself into a confined, stable layer.

What Ocean HDPE Geocell is

Ocean HDPE Geocell is a three-dimensional honeycomb made from strips of high-density polyethylene, welded together at regular intervals. It is delivered collapsed, then pulled open on site into a mattress of connected cells, filled with soil, sand or aggregate, and compacted.

The cell walls do three things:

• Confinement: when a load presses on the infill, it pushes outward against the walls. The walls and the neighbouring cells resist that push, so the infill keeps its compaction and becomes much stiffer.
• Load spreading: the filled mattress behaves like a semi-rigid slab, spreading a wheel or foundation load over a wider area of subgrade.
• Erosion resistance: the walls stop infill from moving downslope, washing away or blowing off, and hold topsoil in place while vegetation establishes.

Ocean’s strips are textured to increase friction with the infill and perforated so water can pass between cells, keeping the layer free-draining. The polymer contains carbon black for UV stability, which matters on a desert site where material may sit exposed during construction.

Unlike flat geogrids, which depend on particles locking into their apertures, a geocell holds the full depth of infill inside its walls. That is why geocells work with fine, uniform sand that a geogrid alone cannot grip.

Why the 712 × 75 mm configuration

The designation describes two dimensions. 712 mm is the weld spacing, which sets the cell size, and 75 mm is the cell depth. This is the largest cell in Ocean’s range at the shallowest depth.

Large, shallow cells cover the most ground per panel and use the least infill per square metre. They are typically chosen for surface stabilisation and erosion control across wide areas, rather than for heavy, concentrated loads, which call for smaller cells and deeper sections. On a large renewable site, where thousands of square metres of exposed sand need holding in place, this is an efficient configuration.

At about 35 sq m per expanded section, the 10,524 sq m supplied works out to roughly 300 sections. Weld strength is tested to ISO 13426-1, and IRC:SP:59-2019 covers the use of geocells in road pavements in India.

Where geocells work on a renewable energy site

On a utility-scale project in sandy desert ground, geocells are commonly used in four areas:

Access and maintenance tracks. Sand-filled or aggregate-filled geocell over a geotextile separator gives a firm running surface for maintenance vehicles, using far less imported stone than a conventional granular road.

Slope and embankment protection. Around raised platforms, cut areas and drainage embankments, geocells keep the surface from slumping and washing out. Our erosion control solutions page covers related systems.

Drainage channels and outfalls. Filled with stone or concrete, geocells line open drains so the rare but heavy storm runoff does not scour the channel bed.

Wind erosion control. Confining the top layer of sand across open areas cuts down drift and dust, protecting equipment and keeping roads clear.

Ocean’s engineers help contractors match cell size, depth, infill and anchoring to each of these uses. Choosing the right configuration for each zone, rather than one product everywhere, is where most of the cost saving comes from.

Geocell against conventional methods

The haulage saving is significant in Jaisalmer, where aggregate sources can be far from the site. A collapsed geocell panel is a fraction of the volume it covers once expanded.

Ocean has supplied geocells for demanding projects across India, including ground reinforcement at an Air Force project in Gwalior and formation work on the NWR doubling project between Kathuwas and Narnaul.

Installation good practice

Geocells go in quickly with light equipment, but a few steps decide how the finished layer performs:

1. Grade and compact the subgrade, and lay a non-woven geotextile where the infill must be kept separate from finer soil below.
2. Expand each section fully to its rated dimensions, so every cell opens to its design size.
3. Anchor the section with stakes, using closer spacing on slopes and at the edges.
4. Join adjacent sections with staples or ties so the mattress acts as one layer.
5. Fill from the top of a slope downward, overfilling slightly, then compact so the infill sits just above the cell walls.
6. Avoid driving tracked equipment directly on exposed cell walls before they are filled.

Most problems trace back to under-expanded panels, loose anchoring or poor compaction of the infill.

Long-term performance

HDPE does not rot, corrode or react with sand and soil, and the carbon black protects the strips from UV degradation. Once filled and compacted, the cell walls are shielded by the infill, and the layer needs little maintenance beyond a check after major storms for exposed edges or displaced fill. For a generation asset expected to run for decades, that low upkeep is a direct saving.

Frequently asked questions

Ocean Non Wovens: geosynthetics for India’s infrastructure

Ocean Non Wovens manufactures and supplies high-performance geosynthetics for large-scale civil engineering across India. Our range covers geocells, geotextiles, geomembranes, geogrids, gabions, geocomposites, geo bags and erosion control mats, made to Indian and international standards and backed by technical support from specification to installation.

Our materials are at work on defence infrastructure, airports, highways, railways, industrial developments, power and renewable energy projects, and environmental engineering works such as landfills and water storage. The Continuum Green Energy project in Jaisalmer adds another utility-scale renewable site to that record.

If you are planning access roads, slope protection or erosion control on a solar, wind or industrial project, contact Ocean Non Wovens to discuss your site. Our engineers will help you choose the right geocell size, depth and infill for your ground conditions.