In April 2024, Venterra Group, a leader in offshore wind services, launched an expanded suite of Marine Hard Structure services. This offering addresses the growing need for advanced environmental monitoring and assessment as offshore wind projects accelerate globally. Venterra’s marine science consultancy INSPIRE Environmental delivers this service, in partnership with Marine Imaging Technologies.
As offshore wind projects grow worldwide, environmentally responsible development becomes paramount. Regulators and stakeholders require detailed monitoring to understand how offshore infrastructure interacts with the marine environment. Venterra’s new service offering enables clients to monitor ecological changes on and around wind farm structures, assess the effectiveness of nature-based scour and cable protection designs, and support climate resilience and adaptation initiatives. Additionally, this approach can assess the benefits of sorting and placing coarse dredged material to create rock reefs. Finally, this approach can provide high-resolution 3D digital twins to augment assessments and enhance stakeholder engagement.
This service is the result of a strategic collaboration between INSPIRE Environmental’s benthic ecology expertise and Marine Imaging Technologies’ advanced subsea imaging capabilities. Together, they have supported nearly half of all U.S. offshore wind projects, working closely with leading developers and regulatory agencies including Orsted, Equinor, RWE, Ocean Winds, Siemens Gamesa, NYSERDA, NOAA, USACE, and USEPA.
A prime example of INSPIRE’s environmental leadership is the first comprehensive benthic monitoring study of a utility-scale offshore wind farm in U.S. federal waters, conducted at South Fork Wind. Over multiple years, INSPIRE’s scientists led surveys that spanned both pre- and post-construction phases. The study found no significant adverse effects on seafloor habitats or marine communities due to construction activities. Remarkably, the new turbine foundations and subsea structures acted as artificial reefs, attracting a diverse array of fish and invertebrates. This thriving marine life has the potential to support local fisheries, signaling a positive interaction between offshore wind infrastructure and the marine ecosystem.
With the launch of its Marine Hard Structure services, Venterra is pioneering a new standard for environmental stewardship within the offshore wind sector. By combining leading scientific expertise, cutting-edge imaging technology, and a deep commitment to sustainability, Venterra empowers clients to deliver offshore wind projects that are both efficient and environmentally responsible. This approach supports the global energy transition while safeguarding the health of marine ecosystems, demonstrating that renewable energy development and ocean conservation can progress hand in hand.
