Swedish developer of twin offshore wind turbine technology Hexicon has this week said it will develop a demonstrator project for floating wind power at Metcentre’s deepwater area off of Norway’s coast.
"The project, TwinWay, is a pilot to commercialize new offshore floating wind technology. With the project, Hexicon and Metcentre want to show proof of floating wind power in deep waters as it enables generation of large amounts of renewable energy meanwhile allowing higher average wind speed and lower visual impact than both onshore and bottom fixed offshore wind power," Hexicon said.
Hexicon, based in Stockholm, develops wind power projects in deepwater areas based on a patented technology. The Norwegian Marine Energy Test Centre (Metcentre) provides facilities and assistance for testing new marine renewable energy technologies. The two companies have signed an agreement to develop TwinWay project based on Hexicon’s technology in Metcentre’s deepwater area in Norway.
The intention of the TwinWay project is to show proof of concept for Hexicon´s floating wind foundation through twin wind-turbines pilot unit designed for, installed, and operated at Metcentre. Floating wind platforms enable installation in greater water depth, allowing higher average wind speed and lower visual impact.
Marcus Thor, Chief Executive Officer of Hexicon, said: "This is not only a great opportunity to demonstrate Hexicon’s patented technology and capability in project development, but foremost an important step for the floating wind sector. With this project, we can demonstrate the clear benefits with offshore floating wind compared to onshore as well as bottom fixed offshore wind power, and how it is set to become a highly relevant part of the future renewable energy mix.”
The test area is located off of Norway’s southern coast and Metcentre has applied for consent for a new larger capacity of 85 MW, expected to be granted in 2021. Hexicon has signed a conditional site exclusivity agreement with a reservation of 6 megawatts.
Hexicon has in recent months signed collaboration agreements with Aker Offshore Wind and Bechtel.
The Swedish firm has teamed up with engineering and construction firm Bechtel to demonstrate innovative twin-turbine floating offshore wind technology for large-scale floating power generation projects off the coast of the U.K.
With Aker Offshore, Hexicon will jointly explore and realize floating wind opportunities offshore Sweden, that could generate "several gigawatts" of renewable power.