Wind Energy – Geotechnical Investigation
Community Offshore Wind, a joint venture between RWE and National Grid Ventures, has selected Fugro to perform a geotechnical investigation of their lease area in the New York Bight.
With 3 GW of offshore wind energy potential, the developed lease area could power more than one million homes in the region, making a valuable contribution to the US energy transition.
The geotechnical work follows a successful site characterisation programme completed by Fugro in 2023. Covering the entire 510 km² lease area and potential export cable corridors, the effort produced a preliminary earth model detailing geophysical and environmental conditions to support the wind farm’s concept design.
The geotechnical investigation will refine the earth model through seabed sampling and ground condition testing to ensure safe and efficient engineering of the wind turbine foundations.
Work on the programme is underway and will continue through the summer using two vessels: one focused on seabed sampling and downhole in situ testing, and the other on advanced seabed cone penetration tests (CPTs). For the CPT scope, Fugro is employing their SEACALF MkV Deep Drive system, which delivers fast, high-quality data acquisition with improved safety and reduced emissions—up to 40% compared to traditional technology. Additionally, Fugro’s cloud-based Geo‑data engagement platform, VirGeo, facilitates near real-time data analysis, enabling quick decision-making and optimised field operations.
