Marking the next phase of development of their offshore wind lease area, Community Offshore Wind, a joint venture of RWE and National Grid Ventures, today announced an agreement with Fugro, an industry leader in geo-data survey and analysis, to conduct geotechnical investigation of the project’s lease area in the New York Bight. 

This next phase of site survey work will further prepare Community Offshore Wind’s lease area, the largest in the New York Bight, to bring clean energy from offshore wind to homes and businesses across the region.

The geotechnical investigation will build on previous geophysical surveying by taking seabed samples and testing ground conditions to ensure safe, stable and responsible project design and engineering of the wind turbine foundations Community Offshore Wind installs in the lease area. Offshore geotechnical surveys are widely used across industries including for coastal restoration, dredging projects, telecommunications and scientific research, and help ensure the optimal placement of offshore wind turbines for a project.

“Our lease area in the New York Bight has the capacity to power more than one million U.S. homes with renewable energy from offshore wind,” said Doug Perkins, President and Project Director, Community Offshore Wind. “This survey work is a vital step forward that will ensure our projects are developed sustainably and responsibly, while preparing us to bring new clean energy to communities across the region and help New York and New Jersey meet their nation-leading climate targets.” 

Céline Gerson, Fugro’s President and Group Director in the Americas, added, “Fugro is extremely proud that Community Offshore Wind has once again entrusted us to deliver the Geo-data and analysis needed to advance their offshore wind project in the New York Bight. Leveraging our extensive experience working on offshore renewable energy projects in the region and around the world, we’re fully committed to supporting the significant contributions this project will bring to the US energy transition.”

Fugro brings a proven track record in geophysical investigation, combined with end-to-end capabilities to both collect seabed samples and perform onshore analysis of the materials, making the company an ideal partner as Community Offshore Wind continues to prepare its lease area to deliver clean power to New York and New Jersey communities.

Community Offshore Wind’s lease area is 37 miles off the coast of New Jersey and 64 miles from the New York coast. The site investigation began in early June 2024 and will continue through the summer. Fugro plans to use two geotechnical vessels to collect sediment samples, which will launch from Bayonne, New Jersey. 

In line with Community Offshore Wind’s commitment to responsible and safe development, field work will be conducted in coordination with the regional fishing industry and will comply with strict regulatory requirements to protect marine mammals and other wildlife. All survey vessels are subject to rigorous Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) screening and all project staff will follow the guidance documented in the Health and Safety Plan (HASP) prepared for this investigation.

A safe and cooperative alignment with nearby fisheries is a top priority for Community Offshore Wind during the investigation and local commercial fishermen will be onboard the geotechnical vessels to manage communication and coordinate with fishing fleets.  Survey plans, activities and information on vessels will be regularly communicated to boaters, the fishing industry and posted on the Community Offshore Wind website. 

To ensure safe operations around marine life, the project will utilize independent protected species observers (PSOs) who will be on duty aboard the vessels at all times to detect and avoid marine mammals during field activities and to collect visual observation data on marine wildlife.