Norway’s Ministry of Energy is inviting companies to bid for three offshore wind projects of up to to 500 MW each at Utsira Nord, off the coast of Rogaland, where the water
Aikido will test its floating wind solution at full scale at MET Center in Norway
Norway’s Ministry of Energy is inviting companies to bid for three offshore wind projects of up to to 500 MW each at Utsira Nord, off the coast of Rogaland, where the water depths dictate the use of floating offshore solutions. The second stage of the competition will be to bid for state aid of up to NOK 35 billion (about US$ 3.4 billion), which will be awarded the lowest bidder.
Norwegian industry is gearing up to meet the challenge, and at least one American company, San Francisco-based Aikido Technologies, is hoping to see its technology used.
“This is a joyful moment for the industry,” said Arvid Nesse, CEO of Norwegian Offshore Wind as the Utsira Nord competition was announced. “With this, Norway is returning to the world stage in floating offshore wind, where we have all the prerequisites to become a global leader. Norway is a pioneer in floating offshore wind technology, and we have a strong supplier industry with many specialized companies.”
Norwegian floating wind technology resources include The Marin Energy Test Centre – METCentre, which provides the capability to test and validate floater technologies at full scale and where Equinor installed the world’s very first floating wind turbine, Hywind Demo, in 2009.
The METCentre’s main test area for floating offshore wind is located 10 kilometers offshore, near the recently released Utsira Nord field.
Today, Norwegian Offshore Wind reported that Aikido and Norwegian company Odfjell Oceanwind have secured slots at METCentre on the West coast of Norway.
Aikido will deploy a first-of-its-kind 15 MW demo project, called ‘AO60’ at the METCentre. Once installed in 2027, the platform will be one of the largest floating wind platforms constructed and deployed to date.
Odfjell Oceanwind (OOW) has secured a slot with 24MW capacity grid connection at the same site, with the ambition of installing one full-scale floating offshore wind turbine in 2028.
AIKIDO
The Aikido Platform consists of thirteen, modular steel components, including columns and trusses, that can be fabricated at existing offshore wind or steel fabrication sites. For the AO60 project, the components will be transported to a final assembly site near the test center, where the platform can be completed in a matter of days, not months like traditional construction techniques. The Aikido Platform uses pin joints to complete the assembly of the platform without any major welding or painting works. The pin joints act as hinges and allow the platform to be folded during assembly, taking up just one-third of the space of traditional designs. Once deployed in the water, the platform is able to unfold during a simple ballasting procedure.
Sam Kanner, CEO of Aikido, said “We are proud to announce our partnership with the METCentre. As evidenced by the recent Utsira Nord actions, Norway is a first-moving floating wind market. This project will show how Aikido can leverage existing infrastructure and vessels to reduce risks and accelerate the deployment of floating wind first in Norway and then around the world.”
Cecilia Girard-Vika, Director of the METCentre stated, “This project offers valuable industry experience and supports the development of a full-scale, innovative and cost-effective solution. We are very excited to welcome Aikido to our site in Norway and connect them with Norway’s strong floating offshore wind supply chain.”
SCALEWIND
Odfjell’s project, named SCALEWIND, will demonstrate all components involved in a utility scale wind park including an extra large wind turbine generator, the Deepsea Starsemisubmersible steel foundation, a mooring system, dynamic cables, as well as a subsea infrastructure for collecting and delivering the power to the onshore grid. OOW will also work closely with MET Centre in order to mature and develop the engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning of the seabed infrastructure which will be shared between the SCALEWIND project and potential other future demonstrators at the METCentre.
“Demonstrators like the SCALEWIND project are essential to de-risk floating offshore wind prior to scaling to larger projects like Utsira Nord, INTOG, Scotwind and others. The world has still not seen the technology that is required for developing these multi-turbine and multibillion-dollar projects. The largest floating offshore turbine deployed so far is 9.5MW, whilst the Utsira Nord and other utility scale projects are expected to use turbines with more than twice that capacity,” says Odfjell Oceanwind CEO Per Lund .
“We are very glad to see our member Odfjell Oceanwind is moving forward with technology and larger turbines. A demonstrator like SCALEWIND will be very important to reduce cost in floating offshore wind. And the project will be important for the supply chain to learn and to prepare for Utsira Nord and other full scale floating wind farms,” said Arvid Nesse.
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