GeoForce Hooks Geotechnical Survey for Shetland Subsea Link

GeoForce Technical Services, part of Oceanscan and Venterra Group, has been selected by Reach Subsea to deliver geotechnical survey work for the Shetland HVDC Link 2 project, a subsea power connection aimed at strengthening Britain’s electricity transmission network.

The six-month offshore campaign, running from late February to August 2026, will support Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks Transmission (SSEN Transmission) in developing a roughly 330-kilometre, 2 gigawatt subsea link between Shetland and the Scottish mainland. The project forms part of SSEN Transmission’s long-term “Beyond 2030” network strategy.

GeoForce’s scope includes seabed characterisation, sediment analysis and core penetration testing, providing data to support route optimisation and installation design. The work is intended to improve understanding of subsurface conditions and reduce engineering risks ahead of cable installation.

The contract builds on an existing relationship between GeoForce and Reach Subsea on offshore site investigation projects.

“GeoForce provides specialist geotechnical expertise that will play a key role in the success of our campaign with SSEN Transmission. Their capabilities complement our integrated project delivery onboard our vessels and will help ensure we acquire the high-resolution seabed data needed to support SSEN Transmission’s design and routing activities, while maintaining the highest standards of safety,” said Alastair McKie, Managing Director at Reach Subsea UK.