Genesis, an engineering services subsidiary of Technip Energies, teamed up with the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMass), to jointly develop shallow water floating offshore wind concept funded by The National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC) with cost-share provided by Equinor.
"The project team seeks to promote a long-term vision for offshore wind in the United States in support of current policy for an all-inclusive energy strategy. The University of Massachusetts is the main contractor to NOWRDC," Genesis said earlier this week.
According to Genesis, a critical bottleneck to the technological advancement of floating offshore wind for shallow water depths is the need for robust and cost-effective mooring system solutions.
The Genesis scope focuses on floating platform and mooring system design in water depths ranging from 60m to 100m. Genesis will develop a cost-optimized solution with the utilization of the right materials and technologies. Genesis will utilize its tools FIDE Sizer and MLTSIM to aid the development of robust hull and mooring solutions.
"We are very excited about this award with the University of Massachusetts, as it demonstrates our extensive capabilities in offshore wind and commitment to the energy transition and the journey to a low carbon society," Christophe Malaurie, SVP Genesis said.
The National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium, established in 2018, is a not-for-profit public-private partnership focused on advancing offshore wind technology in the United States through high-impact research projects and cost-effective and responsible development to maximize economic benefits.
Funding for the Consortium comes from the U.S. Department of Energy and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), with each providing $20.5 million, as well as contributions from the Commonwealths of Virginia and Massachusetts and the States of Maryland and Maine, bringing total investment to approximately $47 million.