New facility will enable next-generation offshore wind turbines to be tested and accelerate product development
Lindø Offshore Renewables Centre (LORC) in Denmark has inaugurated a world-beating main bearing test facility for offshore wind turbines.
Capable of testing main bearings for turbines of up to 25 MW, the new facility was developed together with Schaeffler Technologies. It was inaugurated on 9 October 2025 and developed and built with financial support amounting to Dkr79.6M (US$12.4M) from Green Labs Denmark.
LORC focuses on test and validation of components for next-generation wind turbines. Its activities range from full-scale testing of wind turbine nacelles, drive trains, main bearings, blade bearings, components and structures to industry-scale battery energy storage systems. An agreement to build the main bearing test facility was reached in 2023, after nearly two years of dialogue and negotiations, when LORC signed a turnkey agreement with R&D Test Systems ApS to build the facility, which was developed in close collaboration with Schaeffler, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of wind turbine main bearings. In parallel with signing the deal agreed with R&D Test Systems ApS, LORC also entered into a long-term collaboration agreement with Schaeffler, securing commercial operations of the facility. The facility is open to all bearing manufacturers worldwide.
In the months running up to the completion of the facility, a 560-tonne load test unit – the core component in the new test bench – was lifted into place and installed using LORC’s 1,200-tonne gantry crane. Measuring 16 m in length with a width of 9 m and height of 8 m, the unit includes a drive system designed to simulate the extreme loads experienced by components in wind turbines. Installation of another heavy individual element in the new test bench – a 260-tonne shaft with a diameter of up to 5 m – underscored the scale and complexity of the installation.
Once operational, the facility will enable full-scale testing of next-generation main bearings for offshore wind turbines, helping manufacturers validate performance, improve reliability and accelerate product development cycles. Schaeffler will be the first bearing manufacturer to utilise the new test bench.
Main bearings play a critical role in the overall performance and reliability of a wind turbine, and must support all the forces and moments transmitted from the rotor, which in next-generation turbines can reach diameters of up to 300 m. The facility is designed to simulate the most extreme loads that main bearing arrangements such as these are exposed to. By replicating the very demanding conditions found offshore, the facility enables advanced testing and validation of bearing arrangements for future turbine generations, ensuring durability, efficiency and safety in increasingly challenging environments.
“Installation of this large-scale test facility marks a major step forward in ensuring the quality and resilience of key turbine components,” says LORC. “By enabling realistic, high-load testing scenarios, we are helping to drive innovation and support the continued growth of the global offshore wind sector.”
