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 totaling 1,000 km², Fugro worked with Atlantic Shores to pioneer a new data collection and management approach.
According to Fugro, this 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. The 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.
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.
“Over the last four years our teams have worked tirelessly to ensure we possess the most accurate data to develop our project portfolio safely and responsibly. Our partnership has led to industry innovations, advancements, and best practices that are charting the course for clean energy delivery now and for future generation,” said Joris Veldhoven, Chief Executive Officer, Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind.