Bechtel and Hexicon have partnered to develop demonstration projects for twin-turbine floating offshore wind foundation in the waters of United Kingdom. The companies initially plan to demonstrate a 35 MW to 40 MW floating wind project.
As per the partnership agreement, Bechtel providing its engineering, construction and project financing experience to design and construct the project. The partners will also focus on how to bring the technology to the market. They will consider the potential roles of local suppliers in shipbuilding, mooring and installations, who could also serve the needs of floating offshore wind projects in years to come.
The advantage of floating turbines is that they can access large swaths of outlying ocean waters, up to half a mile deep, unlike ordinary offshore wind turbines, with long towers sunk into the seabed and bolted into place in shallow seas 60 to 160 feet deep. In Europe, where the density of onshore and near-shore wind turbines in places like Germany, the United Kingdom, and Norway has spurred increasing opposition to new arrays, the floating turbines can be installed over the horizon, out of sight of coastal residents.
Few initiatives have already begun in this space. In September 2020, Total and Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG) partnered to develop floating offshore wind projects in South Korea. The 50-50 partnership between the two companies is aimed to develop 5 large projects with a total capacity of more than 2 GW. Earlier, in August 2020 Norwegian offshore drilling contractor Odfjell Drilling made an investment in Oceanwind AS with the goal of securing a controlling position in the floating wind power company. According to the Norwegian offshore drilling contractor, the move will support it on a path to zero-emissions drilling through projects that would connect its rigs to floating wind farms.