How Ternan Energy’s geophysical expertise is helping de-risk the next generation of Offshore Renewables
The Atlantic Ocean relentlessly drives powerful waves to Portugal’s coastline every single day without pause, carrying an energy density five times higher than wind and at least ten times that of solar. At the Aguçadoura offshore site near Porto, this constant ocean power is being harnessed through innovative Wave Energy Converter technology that’s already proven its resilience by surviving Atlantic storms with 18.5-meter waves.
Between 30th July and 9th August 2025, Ternan Energy supported a comprehensive geophysical survey for CorPower Ocean’s VianaWave project – a planned wave energy farm that aims to deliver 30GWh of renewable electricity annually, enough to power 7,500 homes while significantly cutting emissions. Over those 10 days at sea, our offshore client representatives oversaw the safe, accurate and efficient collection of geophysical survey data, while our technical team provided expert support to map the seabed, identify constraints, and deliver the critical intelligence needed to de-risk the placement of Wave Energy Converter devices.
This survey represents more than just another offshore renewable energy project. It’s part of wave energy’s maturation as a sector, where developers are applying the same rigorous geoscience approaches that have served offshore wind and oil and gas for decades.
Portugal’s Wave Energy Ambitions
The VianaWave project represents a major step toward achieving Portugal’s National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) goal of 200MW of installed wave energy capacity by 2030. With its extensive Atlantic coastline and some of Europe’s most powerful wave resources, Portugal is uniquely positioned to lead the wave energy sector.
Wave energy offers predictability and consistency. Waves can be forecast days in advance with high accuracy and wave energy converters keep generating throughout the year with no downtime. Leveraging these facts, Portugal adds wave energy to its ever expanding portfolio of renewable energy streams, taking another step closer to true clean power generation.
The Aguçadoura site carries particular significance. Since September 2023, CorPower Ocean’s commercial-scale C4 device has been operating here, putting the technology through its paces in real Atlantic conditions. When Storm Domingos hit in late 2023, the system endured waves over 18.5 meters high, confirming its storm-mode capabilities and validating both the technology and the site’s suitability for commercial-scale deployment. With construction targeted for 2028/29, VianaWave will build on this proven foundation.
Ten days mapping the Atlantic seabed
Ternan Energy’s role began with understanding the seabed and subsurface conditions. Our offshore client representatives spent 10 days aboard the survey vessel overseeing a comprehensive suite of geophysical technologies: Multibeam Bathymetry to map seabed topography in high resolution, Side Scan Sonar to identify seabed features and potential obstructions, Magnetometer to detect any buried metallic objects and Sub-bottom Profiler and 2D UHRS to reveal the geological layers beneath the seabed surface.
James Harrison, Senior Geophysicist at Ternan Energy, said “CorPower Ocean’s wave energy converters will help provide clean, reliable energy from the power of the ocean. The Aguçadoura project was a fantastic opportunity to utilise Ternan’s geophysical expertise and de-risk the placement of the Wave Energy Farm – identifying seabed conditions and potential constraints before installation begins.”
Matt Dickson, Head of Projects at CorPower Ocean, said “Working with Ternan Energy gave us confidence in our site selection and foundation design. Their geophysical analysis helped us understand the seabed conditions at Aguçadoura and informed our deployment strategy from the earliest stages.”
The survey revealed a complex seabed with numerous features that will inform the final placement of the wave energy converters. While detailed findings remain commercially sensitive until CorPower Ocean finalises their installation strategy, the data has already proven its value in optimising site layout and identifying areas requiring closer investigation.
Beyond the Survey: An Integrated Geoscience Approach
The geophysical survey is just the opening chapter of Ternan’s involvement with VianaWave. Unlike traditional survey-only contracts, this project demonstrates the value of an integrated geoscience approach that combines geophysical insights with advanced geotechnical testing.
Ternan is supporting CorPower Ocean with a comprehensive geotechnical testing programme (VibroDrive+) that includes centrifuge model testing, computer modelling for vibratory pile driving, and 1/3 scale model testing of anchor pile designs. This testing will validate foundation performance under the unique loading conditions that wave energy converters experience – different from both offshore wind turbines and traditional oil and gas structures.
An upcoming geotechnical site investigation campaign will ground-truth the geophysical findings, collecting in-situ testing data to refine foundation designs. Ternan will provide both onshore engineering support and offshore client representatives for this phase, ensuring continuity from initial survey through to construction-ready designs.
This integrated approach delivers real value. The geophysical survey data directly informs where geotechnical investigation efforts should focus, optimizing the location and number of sampling points needed. In turn, the geotechnical data validates the geophysical interpretations, creating a comprehensive understanding of site conditions that minimises risk and reduces overall project costs.
The Growing Role of Wave Energy
As the offshore renewable energy sector evolves beyond wind, developers are discovering that new technologies require new approaches to site characterisation and foundation design. Wave energy converters experience different loading regimes to wind turbines and tidal energy devices face unique challenges from strong currents.
Ternan Energy’s experience spans these emerging technologies. From offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea to wave energy in Portugal, our team brings decades of geoscience expertise from oil and gas into the renewable energy transition. We understand that every seabed is different, every technology has unique requirements, and every project needs an approach tailored to its specific challenges.
The wave energy sector is at an inflection point. After years of research and development, commercial-scale projects like VianaWave are moving toward reality. The developers succeeding in this space are those who recognize that robust geoscience isn’t a cost – it’s an investment that de-risks everything that follows.
Looking Ahead
As VianaWave progresses toward its 2028/29 construction timeline, the geophysical and geotechnical work being completed now will prove its value many times over. Every foundation installed with confidence, every cable route optimized to avoid obstacles, every construction schedule maintained because unexpected ground conditions didn’t cause delays – these are the returns on early-stage geoscience investment.
For Ternan Energy, projects like VianaWave represent the future of our industry. The same skills that supported decades of North Sea oil and gas development are now enabling the renewable energy sector. Our marine geoscience expertise, client representative services, and foundation engineering capabilities apply across technologies – whether that’s offshore wind, wave energy, tidal power, or floating wind.
Portugal’s Atlantic coast will continue to generate powerful waves for centuries to come. Projects like VianaWave are learning how to harvest that energy reliably and economically. And robust geoscience, delivered by teams who understand both the ocean environment and the engineering requirements, will be essential to making that vision reality.
For more information about Ternan Energy’s geophysical survey services, geotechnical engineering capabilities and offshore client representative support for wave, tidal, and offshore wind projects, visit www.ternan-energy.com or contact info@ternan-energy.com