Wind Energy – Geotechnical Survey
Fugro has been awarded a contract to perform comprehensive geotechnical surveys for the NordSee Energies 1 (NSE 1) offshore wind farm, being developed by TotalEnergies on the North Sea N-12.1 site.
The investigations will provide essential insights into seabed conditions at planned wind turbine locations and inter-array cable routes, directly informing the safe and efficient design of turbine foundations.
With a planned capacity of 2 GW, NordSee Energies 1 is expected to make a significant contribution to Germany’s offshore wind expansion in the North Sea and strengthen Europe’s long-term energy security and decarbonisation efforts.
Fieldwork is already underway, with Fugro mobilising a fleet of five specialist vessels to carry out the surveys approximately 170 km off the German coast, across an area of around 200 km².
The campaign includes investigations at around 140 locations, reaching depths of up to 50 metres below the seabed. To support safe, efficient and high-quality data acquisition across the site, Fugro is deploying advanced technologies, including its SEACALF® Mk V seabed cone penetration testing system.
Following the fieldwork, an extensive laboratory testing programme will be carried out at Fugro’s laboratories in Wallingford, UK, and Louvain, Belgium.
The resulting Geo-data will be delivered through VirGeo, Fugro’s cloud-based Geo-data platform, and used to understand soil behaviour across the different turbine loading areas, as well as to inform the design, installation, and protection of the inter-array cables.
