Fugro, EirGrid Complete Marine Surveys for Irish Offshore Wind Link

EirGrid has completed its 2026 marine and coastal survey campaign for Ireland's Powering Up Offshore – South Coast program, with Fugro carrying out investigations to support the development of grid infrastructure for approximately 900 MW of offshore renewable energy.

The campaign involved almost 70,000 hours of survey work across 2,337 kilometers of maritime area, gathering environmental, geophysical and geotechnical data to inform future offshore energy infrastructure, according to announcements from EirGrid and Fugro.

The surveys will support engineering, environmental and planning assessments for infrastructure associated with the Tonn Nua maritime area under Ireland's South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan for Offshore Renewable Energy (SC-DMAP).

Fugro said it carried out the investigations alongside its partners, helping establish a detailed understanding of marine and coastal conditions needed for the next phase of development.

The 2026 campaign follows an earlier survey program completed in 2025.

EirGrid is continuing a 12-week public consultation, running until December 8, on emerging infrastructure options for connecting the Tonn Nua maritime area to the national electricity grid.

The consultation covers potential landfall locations, offshore cable corridors, offshore substations, grid connection points and onshore transmission cable routes in Cork and Wexford.

"The successful completion of our 2026 marine and coastal survey campaign is another significant step forward for the Powering Up Offshore – South Coast programme. The surveys provide vital information that will help us better understand the marine and coastal environment and inform the development of infrastructure options needed to connect offshore renewable energy to the national electricity grid," said Adam Cronin, Head of Offshore – South Coast at EirGrid.

Once developed, the project is expected to facilitate the connection of approximately 900 MW of offshore renewable energy, which EirGrid estimates would be enough to power almost one million homes.