Denmark’s Semco Maritime and ISC Consulting Engineers, along with Technip Energies’ affiliate Inocean based in Norway and Sweden, have developed a floating offshore substation concept for the floating offshore wind market.
The international partnership, which merges two decades of offshore wind experience from fixed bottom offshore substations with naval architecture expertise, said it will be looking to comercialise this reliable, cost-effective, and scalable solution with the aim of helping clients in their maturation, development, and construction phase of floating offshore wind projects.
Floating wind turbine technology is, in general, well understood in the market, whereas floating substations are still a concept in their market maturation phase. A substation layout has been developed to fit the shape of a three-column stabilised substructure; all known technology combined in a new wrapping.
“As floating wind farms develop in terms of size, distance from shore and water depth, the need for a floating offshore substation as a key element of the transmission asset is becoming vital,” said Tommy Flindt, senior director, technology and market development, renewable energy, Semco Maritime.
ISC designed the world’s first fixed-bottom substation for an offshore wind farm and since 2003 has provided detailed engineering design for more than 45 offshore substations.
“We are now ready to venture onto floating substations by offering our track record and experience to create value for our clients,” said Andreas Laungaard, vice president of renewable energy and operations offshore at ISC. “We believe our joint team will provide a cost-effective solution with solid reliability while delivering to the highest safety standards.”
