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 programme, gathering data to support the development of grid infrastructure for the planned 900 MW Tonn Nua offshore wind farm and other potential projects along the south coast.
The campaign involved almost 70,000 hours of survey work across 2,337 kilometres of maritime area. The data collected will inform engineering, environmental and planning assessments for potential offshore substations, subsea cable corridors and onshore grid connections, according to EirGrid.
The work builds on the first phase of surveys completed in 2025, when more than 40,000 man-hours were spent surveying 3,770 kilometres of seabed.
Fugro was appointed under a seven-year framework agreement with EirGrid to carry out site investigations for the South Coast grid programme, with specialist subcontractors supporting the work.
Dutch marine survey specialist has also been carrying out marine mammal monitoring under a two-year contract, deploying eight seabed monitoring stations equipped with underwater acoustic sensors to detect whales, dolphins and porpoises.
The completion of the survey campaign comes as EirGrid continues a twelve-week public consultation on emerging options for connecting offshore renewable energy from the Tonn Nua maritime area to Ireland’s national grid. Running until 8 December, the consultation covers potential landfall locations, offshore cable corridors, offshore substations, grid connection points and onshore transmission cable routes in Cork and Wexford.
EirGrid said feedback from local communities, landowners, fisheries and other marine users will help inform the next stage of infrastructure development.
Tonn Nua, located off County Waterford, was awarded to the joint venture between ESB and Ørsted in Ireland’s second offshore wind auction in November 2025. The developers are progressing the early-stage project, with EirGrid responsible for delivering its offshore and onshore transmission infrastructure.
The 900 MW project is expected to generate enough electricity to power almost one million homes. A final investment decision (FID) is anticipated around 2031, with first power targeted for the mid-2030s.