Fugro has completed the 2026 marine and coastal survey campaign for the Irish Transmission System Operator (TSO) EirGrid and the Powering Up Offshore - South Coast program. This campaign aimed to collect data to support the development of the 900 MW Tonn Nua offshore wind energy network and other potential projects along the southern coast of Ireland.
Survey Campaign Details
The campaign included nearly 70,000 hours of survey work across 2,337 kilometers of marine areas. The collected data will assist EirGrid in engineering, environmental assessments, and planning for offshore substations, underwater cable corridors, and land-based network connections. This work builds on the first phase of surveys conducted in 2025, during which over 40,000 hours of human effort were dedicated to surveying 3,770 kilometers of seabed.
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Monitoring Marine Mammals
Fugro is also conducting marine mammal monitoring under a two-year contract and has deployed eight seabed monitoring stations equipped with underwater acoustic sensors to identify whales, dolphins, and porpoises. These measures are taken to protect biodiversity in marine areas and ensure no harm to natural ecosystems.
The completion of the survey campaign coincides with EirGrid's twelve-week public consultation on emerging options for connecting offshore renewable energies from the Tonn Nua marine area to the national grid of Ireland. This consultation, which continues until December 8, includes potential landing sites, marine cable corridors, offshore substations, network connection points, and land-based transmission cable routes in Cork and Wexford.
EirGrid stated that feedback from local communities, landowners, fisheries, and other marine users will assist in the next phase of infrastructure development. The 900 MW project is expected to generate enough electricity to power nearly one million homes. The final investment decision (FID) for this project is anticipated around 2031, with the first targeted electricity generation expected in the mid-2030s.
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