Fugro has mobilised two additional vessels offshore New Jersey to support its site characterisation for Atlantic Shores offshore wind project.
Operating on site since May, Fugro now has three vessels with a fourth coming later this month.
The project involves geophysical, benthic, and shallow geotechnical surveys within the lease area and along two proposed export cable routes.
Processing and analysing the survey data will follow to characterise site conditions, including bathymetry, seafloor morphology, subsurface geology, environmental and biological sites, seafloor obstructions, soil conditions and archaeological resources.
Specifically, Atlantic Shores will use this information to design, permit and install future wind farm facilities.
Eventually, they could generate up to 2500 MW of renewable energy for residents along the mid-Atlantic.
Ed Saade, Fugro’s Group director for the Americas, said:
“Not only is Atlantic Shores a sizeable project that highlights our ability to manage a comprehensive work scope in a single field season, but it also demonstrates our ability to evolve alongside our long-time client, Shell.
“Together, we are adapting decades of site characterisation experience developed through oil and gas projects worldwide to serve a new energy market in the US and a more sustainable future.”
Weather permitting, the field programme will continue through the autumn and winter.
Fugro also noted it is performing near-real-time geophysical data processing, with its Back2Base data packaging and transfer technology.
Atlantic Shores is a joint venture between Shell New Energies US (Shell) and EDF Renewables North America.