Venterra Group is expanding its marine hard bottom benthic and hard structure offerings, leveraging the expertise of its consultancy, Inspire Environmental, and business partner, Marine Imaging Technologies.
This expanded offering focuses on monitoring marine growth on introduced hard surfaces, such as turbine foundations, and native hard bottoms characterized by rocks and boulders. These services are crucial for assessing the impacts associated with offshore wind project development.
The offering also supports the assessment of nature-based designs for scour and cable protection related to offshore wind, as well as climate resilience projects. It also includes the beneficial use of dredged material and the collection of high-resolution 3D video for scientific education and communication purposes.
Venterra's partners, Inspire and Marine Imaging Technologies, have collectively worked on nearly half of all US offshore wind projects for clients such as Orsted, Equinor, RWE, Ocean Winds, and Siemens Gamesa, as well as agencies like NYSERDA, NOAA, USACE, and USEPA.
This expanded offering is particularly relevant during the construction and post-construction phases of offshore wind projects, representing Venterra's commitment to supporting the North American offshore wind industry.
Venterra's team, comprising marine scientists, offshore wind engineers, and subsea imaging professionals, aims to assist developers and tier one contractors in making critical decisions. They focus on incorporating nature-inclusive design principles to mitigate and manage impacts on underwater ecosystems.
Paul Doherty, Venterra's Executive Vice President for Engineering, emphasized the significance of the collaboration, stating, “With this new collaboration between Venterra's Inspire and Marine Imaging Technology, we are making it possible for offshore wind developers to clearly visualize the underwater environment, avoid or minimize environmental impacts, and make cost-efficient design decisions.”
