Norwegian floating offshore wind specialist Odfjell Oceanwind has launched a foundation design capable of taking 15 MW and larger wind turbine generators (WTGs).
Named the Deepsea Star, the floater is a column-stabilised, semi-submersible steel design with centre WTG tower, designed to take the weights and loads from the larger wind turbines which will become available for floating wind from 2025 and onwards.
The floater is currently undergoing the basic design approval from DNV based on Siemens Gamesa’s SG 14-236 DD and a multi-location design basis which includes the harshest environment locations relevant for floating offshore wind globally.
“With the Deepsea Star, we have compiled Odfjell’s 50 years of learnings from operating semisubmersible structures in harsh environment conditions with 20 years of experience in designing floating wind solutions. Stepping up to the 15 MW WTGs makes floating wind relevant for larger utility scale wind parks and will be a significant contribution to lowering the LCOE in the coming years,” said Per Lund, CEO of Odfjell Oceanwind.
The company said the floater will be available for deployment from the mid-’20s and that the design is already being considered for several oil and gas electrification projects in the North Sea. The unit is also said to be scalable to larger wind turbines up to 21 MW, expected to become available in 2029 or 2030.
