• Community Offshore Wind will contract with Fugro to conduct geotechnical site investigations of the project’s lease area in the New York Bight this summer
• The work will help inform the future layout of Community Offshore Wind’s projects in the area between New York and New Jersey
• Community Offshore Wind is working closely with the local commercial fishing industry to coordinate the investigations

Marking the next phase of development of their offshore wind lease area, Community Offshore Wind, a joint venture of RWE and National Grid Ventures, today announced an agreement with Fugro, an industry leader in geo-data survey and analysis, to conduct geotechnical investigation of the project’s lease area in the New York Bight.

This next phase of site survey work will further prepare Community Offshore Wind’s lease area, the largest in the New York Bight, to bring clean energy from offshore wind to homes and businesses across the region.

The geotechnical investigation will build on previous geophysical surveying by taking seabed samples and testing ground conditions to ensure safe, stable and responsible project design and engineering of the wind turbine foundations Community Offshore Wind installs in the lease area. Offshore geotechnical surveys are widely used across industries including for coastal restoration, dredging projects, telecommunications and scientific research, and help ensure the optimal placement of offshore wind turbines for a project.

“Our lease area in the New York Bight has the capacity to power more than one million U.S. homes with renewable energy from offshore wind,” said Doug Perkins, President and Project Director, Community Offshore Wind. “This survey work is a vital step forward that will ensure our projects are developed sustainably and responsibly, while preparing us to bring new clean energy to communities across the region and help New York and New Jersey meet their nation-leading climate targets.”

Céline Gerson, Fugro’s President and Group Director in the Americas, added, “Fugro is extremely proud that Community Offshore Wind has once again entrusted us to deliver the Geo-data and analysis needed to advance their offshore wind project in the New York Bight. Leveraging our extensive experience working on offshore renewable energy projects in the region and around the world, we’re fully committed to supporting the significant contributions this project will bring to the US energy transition.”

Fugro brings a proven track record in geophysical investigation, combined with end-to-end capabilities to both collect seabed samples and perform onshore analysis of the materials, making the company an ideal partner as Community Offshore Wind continues to prepare its lease area to deliver clean power to New York and New Jersey communities.

Community Offshore Wind’s lease area is 37 miles off the coast of New Jersey and 64 miles from the New York coast. The site investigation began in early June 2024 and will continue through the summer. Fugro plans to use two geotechnical vessels to collect sediment samples, which will launch from Bayonne, New Jersey.

In line with Community Offshore Wind’s commitment to responsible and safe development, field work will be conducted in coordination with the regional fishing industry and will comply with strict regulatory requirements to protect marine mammals and other wildlife. All survey vessels are subject to rigorous Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) screening and all project staff will follow the guidance documented in the Health and Safety Plan (HASP) prepared for this investigation.

A safe and cooperative alignment with nearby fisheries is a top priority for Community Offshore Wind during the investigation and local commercial fishermen will be onboard the geotechnical vessels to manage communication and coordinate with fishing fleets.  Survey plans, activities and information on vessels will be regularly communicated to boaters, the fishing industry and posted on the Community Offshore Wind website.

To ensure safe operations around marine life, the project will utilize independent protected species observers (PSOs) who will be on duty aboard the vessels at all times to detect and avoid marine mammals during field activities and to collect visual observation data on marine wildlife.

About Community Offshore Wind

RWE and National Grid will bring clean energy to the Northeastern US in a joint venture called Community Offshore Wind. They will develop offshore wind on the largest parcel in the New York Bight with the potential to host 3 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, which is enough to power more than one million US homes and businesses. The project is expected to be in operation by the end of 2030. Community Offshore Wind is dedicated to investing in communities by bringing clean energy jobs to the region and growing the local economy. They will deliver sustainable energy safely, reliably, and efficiently to the communities they serve.

About RWE

RWE is leading the way to a green energy world. With its investment and growth strategy Growing Green, RWE is contributing significantly to the success of the energy transition and the decarbonization of the energy system. Around 20,000 employees work for the company in almost 30 countries worldwide. RWE is already one of the leading companies in the field of renewable energy. Between 2024 and 2030, RWE will invest 55 billion euros worldwide in offshore and onshore wind, solar energy, batteries, flexible generation, and hydrogen projects. By the end of the decade, the company’s green portfolio will grow to more than 65 gigawatts of generation capacity, which will be perfectly complemented by global energy trading. RWE is decarbonizing its business in line with the 1.5-degree reduction pathway and will phase out coal by 2030. RWE will be net-zero by 2040. Fully in line with the company’s purpose - Our energy for a sustainable life.

National Grid Ventures

National Grid is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people throughout our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a path to a more affordable, reliable clean energy future through our fossil-free vision.

National Grid Ventures (NGV) is the non-regulated division of National Grid plc, one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world. NGV operates outside of National Grid’s core regulated businesses in the US and UK where it develops, operates and invests in energy projects, technologies and partnerships to accelerate the development of a clean energy future. NGV’s diverse portfolio of low carbon and renewable energy businesses across the UK, Europe and US includes subsea electricity interconnectors, wind and solar power, and battery storage. For more information, visit https://www.nationalgrid.com/national-grid-ventures.