Wind Energy – USA Survey
Fugro has completed four years of continuous survey operations in New Jersey and New York for US-based offshore wind developer Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind.
Supporting the site assessment of five projects across three lease areas totalling 1,000 km², Fugro worked with Atlantic Shores to pioneer a new data collection and management approach that increased survey efficiency by 30% and contributed to the recent federal approval of Atlantic Shores South, which will provide 2,800 MW of clean energy to New Jersey.
Traditionally, offshore wind site assessments have required multiple independent campaigns to gather oceanographic, seabed, soil, and habitat data. Fugro streamlined this process by consolidating these efforts into a single, integrated program aligned with Atlantic Shores’ portfolio strategy.
To manage the large volumes of data associated with this approach—upwards of 100 TB—Fugro collaborated with Atlantic Shores to develop Fugro VirGeo. This cloud-based Geo-data engagement and delivery platform provides internal stakeholders with real-time project information for faster decision-making both in the field and office.
The platform also facilitated the first digital deliverables to federal regulators, supplementing the thousands of pages of reports required by current permitting standards. This push toward digital deliverables aims to increase transparency, build public trust, and further compress the development timeline through more efficient regulatory reviews, steps critical to achieving the aggressive national goal of deploying 30 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030.
Throughout the four-year field program, Fugro achieved Atlantic Shores’ stringent ‘Goal Zero’ safety standards for people and the environment. This accomplishment was made possible by the safety excellence of Fugro’s team, as well as their subcontractors Alpine and S.T. Hudson Engineers, two local survey companies whose work on the project contributes to Atlantic Shores’ commitment to New Jersey job creation.
