Floating wind turbine technology developer Odfjell Oceanwind said Monday it had received a confirmation from DNV that the main scantling approval of its Deepsea Semi floating wind foundation design is close to completion.
"Main scantling approval is an integral part and milestone of the full classification process. The Deepsea Semi floating wind foundation design is developed for use in floating wind farms and for off-grid applications including temporary electrification of oil and gas installations in harsh environments," Odfjell Oceanwind said.
DNVs Main Scantling Approval (MSA) is an independent assessment of the global load bearing structures with respect to nominal plate thickness, stiffener and girder dimensions, and grade of materials. The purpose of an MSA is to enable early ordering of the majority of steel material with confidence that no major dimensions will change during the final approval step.
The Deepsea Semi foundation was awarded Approval in Principle from DNV in January 2022, and the main scantling class approval is based on the 11MW SG 11.0-200 DD offshore wind turbine from Siemens Gamesa. The approval from DNV is based on an assessment of the integrated foundation with turbine unit, in a joint effort and process involving Odfjell Oceanwind, Siemens Gamesa, and DNV.
“We are very pleased to be a close partner in this project and look forward to continuing to work with Odfjell Oceanwind and Siemens Gamesa on the classification and certification of the Deepsea Semi™ concept," said Erik Henriksen, Director of Business Development - Offshore Classification at DNV. “Since the completion of the Approval in Principle earlier this year the concept has matured and the main scantling approval is progressing well.”
According to Odfjell Oceanwind, the Deepsea Semi foundation is developed for low cost, industrial mass-production and already dimensioned for up to 15MW wind turbine generators, including SG 14.0-236 DD.
Odfjell Oceanwind said it planned to continue towards DNV class approval of the foundation also for these larger turbines soon to be commercially available for floating application.
The design basis includes all areas for floating wind farms currently in planning in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, and Barents Sea, as well as prospective areas related to the ongoing UK INTOG process, and covers a range of 60 to 1300 meters water depth.
“Class approval of the Deepsea Semi with the selected wind turbine will mark another important milestone for us,” said Per Lund, CEO of Odfjell Oceanwind. “We continue building on the long-term relationship with DNV which we plan to extend also through full classification and certification of Floating Offshore Wind Units (FOWUs) for wind park application as well as our own fleet of Mobile Offshore Wind Units (MOWUs) for off-grid application. We now have a product readily available and very well suited for near term oil&gas electrification initiatives, innovation parks in North-West Europe as well as wind park projects like Utsira Nord, Celtic Sea, and Scotwind, including locations West of Shetland.
The Deepsea Semi design has been developed for use both in Floating Offshore Wind Units (FOWUs) for wind park application as well as Odfjell Oceanwind’s fleet of Mobile Offshore Wind Units (MOWUs) for off-grid application.
The wind units typically would go into operation around two years from order.
"Application of MOWUs for electrifying offshore oil and gas installations have a significant potential for the decarbonization of the industry, complementing electrification with power from shore, operated as one fleet under Odfjell Oceanwind’s management," Odfjell Oceanwind said.