Is bigger really better? Will floating offshore wind work with 15MW turbines and larger? 

• UK and Norway have set ambitious targets for reducing emissions from their oil and gas activities  
• Both nations desire to develop their respective industries into global leaders in floating wind  
• Floating wind is a de-carbonisation solution that could deliver on the emission reduction targets 
• Tax incentives could be an effective fiscal tool to incentivise de-carbonisation projects  

With advancements in technology and engineering, and not least political interest, there are now a variety of different floating wind technologies being promoted, each with its own unique design and approach to capturing wind energy. These range from simple floating platforms attached to the seabed, to innovative designs such as semi-submersible and spar-buoy concepts. However, few if any of these designs have so far been proven in full scale for large wind turbine generators. Many of them only exist as computer rendered images at an early stage of development. The designs that have come furthest have begun to involve the classification societies.

Odfjell Oceanwind, together with our partner Source Galileo, will with our UtsiraVIND project participate in the competition for seabed lease for floating offshore wind on Utsira Nord west of Haugesund in Norway. The intention for the three seabed leases of 500MW each is to stimulate technology and innovation, with the aim of reducing cost of energy from floating offshore wind.

Dear colleague,