FoundOcean and the Venterra Group Sustainability Report
At FoundOcean, we believe sustainability starts below the surface. For almost 60 years, we have delivered high-integrity foundation grouting solutions that support the world’s most demanding offshore energy projects. Today, as a member of the Venterra Group, our role in the global energy transition is more important than ever.
The Venterra Group’s 2024 Sustainability Report provides a deep dive into the progress being made across our 10-member companies – and we are proud of FoundOcean’s work as featured in the publication.
Our Role in Securing the Future of Offshore Wind
Offshore wind is growing fast and turbine tower heights and blade lengths are getting bigger all the time. This means that turbine foundations must be strong built to last. FoundOcean’s high-strength grouts and advanced mixing systems help deliver that resilience.
In 2023, we completed 17 major offshore wind projects in the UK, Germany, France, Denmark and Taiwan, as well as supporting oil and gas decommissioning and marine infrastructure developments. These projects contribute directly to each country’s net zero targets and the expansion of renewable energy globally.
Our innovations continue to focus on efficiency and environmental benefit – from reducing embodied carbon in grout formulations to introducing natural-fibre biodegradable formworks. Recently, we even been applying our offshore expertise to tendering for carbon capture and green hydrogen projects.
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint
One highlight from the 2024 report is our commitment to measuring and reducing our own emissions. FoundOcean’s work is built on strength and endurance – qualities we apply to sustainability too. We’ve carried out our carbon footprint analysis across Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, and are embedding reduction strategies across our operations.
We have already started implementing lower-carbon alternatives in our materials, processes and logistics. Important to this has been reviewing travel policies and logistics routes to minimise unnecessary emissions, and we have introduced an EV scheme across the company, sourced a new travel supplier, and introduced an environmental category to our employee award scheme. We are continuously working with our supply chain partners to reduce environmental impacts across a project’s lifecycle.
We are also continuously looking for improve grout production energy efficiency – our latest innovation is a perfect example, using a hydraulic boom arm to speed up the process of connecting the grout hose to the grout mixer, saving ten minutes per structure in the first project – over the course of 60 structures, this resulted in a ten-hour saving for the customer. And our High-Output Recirculating Jet Mixer (RJM) can mix grout at up to twice the speed of earlier systems. As it fits within a standard 20-foot shipping container, it is also super-quick and easy to lift, load and transport.
Sustainability Across the Venterra Group
Venterra’s purpose is to “build the future of offshore wind” and that means delivering offshore projects quickly, safely and sustainably. The 2024 report shows clear momentum, with all 10 companies making significant strides, including:
- 49 offshore wind projects supported globally in 2023
- 14 new wind markets entered – including Poland, the Philippines, South Korea and Colombia
- 100+ GWs of offshore wind power supported globally
- 26% growth in employee headcount across the group – building specialist capacity for the future
All 10 companies are now reporting carbon emissions data and engaging in reduction strategies. Carbon reduction is important from a project’s beginning to end, and lifecycle thinking is being integrated across operations, from vessel use and transport to material efficiency and waste reduction.
Looking to the future, several Venterra companies are contributing to next-generation wind projects, including floating wind farms, XXL monopile foundations and integrated energy islands. The group is also investing in digital monitoring and risk reduction tools in order to create further efficiencies.
People, Safety and Inclusion
As the offshore wind industry expands, building a skilled and motivated workforce is essential. FoundOcean has doubled its headcount over the last two years and, across the Venterra Group, over 200 new roles were created in 2023.
The 2024 report outlines impressive progress across the group on people-related goals, including the rollout of the Venterra values across all companies to reinforce shared culture and purpose. A key part of this is our shared commitment to diversity and inclusion, including new hiring, training and promotion targets, well as the launch of internal and external training initiatives to allow teams to upskill as together we support the growing offshore wind sector.
A Growing Global Footprint
The Venterra Group is now active across 30 countries – from Taiwan to Europe to the USA – and has become a trusted partner to many of the world’s leading offshore wind developers. FoundOcean’s projects in Europe and Asia are part of that expanding global reach, supported by our strong relationships with local suppliers and clients.
This international collaboration is key to scaling offshore wind fast enough to meet the world’s decarbonisation targets.
Solid Foundations for a Sustainable Future
As the offshore wind industry evolves, grouting remains a critical but sometimes overlooked part of the story. Subsea grouting ensures that turbines can survive the harshest marine conditions and keep generating clean power for decades. At FoundOcean, our work sits – quite literally – at the base of the global energy transition.
From reducing embodied carbon in every installation, to sharing engineering knowledge across the Venterra Group, we are proud to be building foundations that are as strong as they are sustainable.
To read more about the group’s sustainability strategy, download the full Venterra Sustainability Report 2024.