Fugro Concludes Site Investigations for TenneT’s Offshore Grid Links

Dutch geological data specialist Fugro has completed land and marine site investigations for transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT Germany, to support the development of the LanWin1 and LanWin2 offshore grid connection projects.

These projects are part of TenneT Germany’s 2 GW program, a major initiative that aims to connect at least 14 offshore connection systems to the onshore electricity grid, delivering clean energy to up to 35 million European households.

The LanWin2 cable route required a range of onshore and nearshore investigation activities to support project development. Fugro’s new GroundIQ service enabled low-impact geophysical surveys, including electrical resistivity profiling and patented 3D ambient noise tomography, a technique that uses naturally occurring vibrations to map subsurface conditions without intrusive methods.

The geotechnical phase involved borehole drilling and cone penetration testing (CPT) at 15 locations, including four in nearshore intertidal zones. Fugro’s ARAN 250 jack-up platform was specially configured for shallow operations, reducing seabed disturbance and minimizing environmental impact in these sensitive areas.

At sea, Fugro deployed four specialist survey vessels to meet TenneT Germany’s need for detailed engineering data to guide cable routing and installation.

The Fugro Frontier, Fugro Pioneer, and Scotia conducted geophysical, unexploded ordnance, and electromagnetic crossing surveys for both LanWin1 and LanWin2. Shallow geotechnical investigations were carried out by the Fugro Resolve using Blue Snake, Fugro’s geotechnical system that integrates CPT and sampling technology to acquire high-quality in a single deployment.

The Geo-data from the land, nearshore and offshore investigations will be delivered to TenneT Germany through Virgeo, Fugro’s secure cloud-based platform. These findings will provide insights to guide cable design, routing, and installation planning, helping ensure the long-term reliability and environmental integrity of the grid connection infrastructure.

“Contributing to a project of this scale allows us to demonstrate how high-quality Geo-data can drive smarter, more sustainable infrastructure decisions. Our integrated site investigation approach, combing land and marine expertise with environmentally sensitive operations, will help support the successful delivery of LanWin1 and LanWin2 and contribute to Europe’s sustainable energy future,” said Jaco Stemmet, Fugro’s Regional Business Line Director for Land.