Offshore energy sector gets boost from supercluster project

A newly announced $3.4-million GeoScan project will help “de-risk” Atlantic Canada’s offshore wind and energy sectors by improving the technology for installations on glacial seabeds.

The GeoScan project, announced recently by Canada’s Ocean Supercluster – a St. John’s-based network of businesses and researchers tasked with generating new technologies – will use wider 3-D acoustic scans to provide the offshore sector with more information to guide decisions. The technology provides a 3-D volumetric interpretation of sub-seabed geology with enhanced resolution and increased competitiveness for the global offshore renewable energy sector.

The project is being led by Newfoundland and Labrador marine imaging company, PanGeo Subsea, with a British Columbia-based partner, Cellula Robotics. Memorial University’s Marine Institute will also be involved.The Ocean Supercluster is providing $2 million in funding to the project, with the rest coming from industry partners.

PanGeo CEO Moya Cahill says the technology will allow her company to satisfy the global market demand for offshore wind farms, but also helps the oil and gas industry. “What’s driving our growth today is certainly offshore wind, but it can similarly be applied to the oil and gas sector as well as to marine construction,” she said a CBC article. The future is so promising. It’s so exciting for PanGeo. This is the type of support that we need to leverage our ability to innovate on a global scale,” Cahill commented.

Ocean Supercluster said the GeoScan Project will create highly skilled, full-time positions and placements at both PanGeo Subsea and Cellula through the development and implementation of the project.