Fugro has secured a two-year environmental services contract with Irish transmission system operator EirGrid to provide long-term marine mammal monitoring along Ireland’s south coast in support of offshore wind development plans.
The work forms part of EirGrid’s Powering Up Offshore – South Coast programme, which aims to deliver the electricity infrastructure needed to connect future offshore wind farms to the national grid. Once completed, the programme is expected to connect about 900 MW of renewable generation capacity, enough to power nearly one million homes.
Under the contract, Fugro will deploy and maintain a network of eight static seabed monitoring units equipped with underwater acoustic sensors designed to detect and record the presence and activity of cetaceans, including whales, dolphins and porpoises.
The project will also mark the first commercial deployment of Fugro’s purpose-built mooring system.
“Long-term monitoring helps us build a clear, evidence-based understanding of the marine environment we operate in,” said Robert Fennelly, Senior Ecologist at EirGrid.
Fugro said the monitoring network will help establish an environmental baseline and track seasonal and longer-term changes in marine mammal activity, including harbour porpoises known to frequent the area.
The company will periodically recover and analyse data from the monitoring units and provide EirGrid with activity summaries and annual reports on species presence and distribution. The information will be used to support environmental assessments, regulatory engagement and future surveys as offshore development progresses.
“The insights we gain from this work are essential to informing project design, supporting regulatory processes, and ensuring that we minimise potential impacts while delivering critical infrastructure. EirGrid is committed to integrating high-quality environmental data into all stages of our offshore programmes as we work to enable Ireland’s transition to a low-carbon energy future,” added Fennelly.
The award builds on an existing seven-year framework agreement between Fugro and EirGrid and supports the development of offshore renewable energy infrastructure in Irish waters.
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