Fugro supports RWE’s delivery of clean energy with geo-data of Dogger Bank South

DBS is located more than 110 km off the east coast of Yorkshire, England in the North Sea and has the potential to generate renewable electricity for up to 3.4 million UK homes per year. The array area covers approximately 1,000 km² with over 100 km of proposed export cable routes, resulting in a total survey scope exceeding 20,000 km of survey lines.

Trevor Baker, RWE Project’s Lead for Dogger Bank South said: “The offshore surveys are a very important aspect of the project’s development and the data collected will help inform the environmental impact assessment process and help in the engineering design of the wind farms. Fugro have demonstrated technical competence in previous projects, and we are pleased to have them on board.”

Fugro mobilised multiple vessels from its industry-leading fleet to complete full coverage surveys. This included seabed cone penetration tests (CPTs), sampling boreholes, multibeam echosounder surveys and the largest 2D ultra high-resolution seismic (UHRS) survey to be completed on a single project. In addition to this, Fugro’s environmental surveys comprised of grab sampling, epibenthic trawling and drop-down videos. The acquired Geo-data will be used to understand the site’s subsurface conditions, advise on geohazard risk mitigation and identify a safe route for export cables.

The processed data will be shared on Fugro’s centralised cloud-hosted platform allowing internal and external teams access to authoritative project Geo-data, facilitating faster decision-making and accelerated timelines on critical project milestones.

Peter Aarts, Fugro’s Marine Geophysical Director Europe and Africa, said: “When considering a project of this scale, early access to Geo-data that provides actionable insights is key. With an understanding of the seafloor and sub-surface conditions, geohazards and environmental constraints, RWE will be able to make informed decisions on their wind farm foundation designs, whilst also reducing installation risks and ensuring the most efficient cable routes. We’re proud to support the future developmental phases of the Dogger Bank South wind farm project and the UK’s ongoing energy transition.”