The European Union has granted funds to an international consortium led by Spain's Iberdrola, to install and test a floating wind turbine in Norway.
Norwegian Offshore Wind Cluster said earlier this week that the EU had granted NOK 290 million (~$27,79 million) for the design, construction, installation, and operation of a floating offshore wind turbine at the test center at Karmøy.
This will be the first time a 10 MW wind turbine is used on a floating foundation, Norwegian Offshore Wind Cluster said.
The consortium, led by Spanish Iberdrola, consists of companies and institutions from Norway (Dr. techn. Olav Olsen, Kvaerner, Unitech Offshore, MetCentre, DNV GL), Spain (Core-Marine, Cener, IHC, Zabala Innovation Consulting), France (EDF) and Denmark (DTU).
The project's goal is to demonstrate a floating concrete foundation, OO-Star, developed by Dr. techn. Olav Olsen. Unitech Offshore will supply the submarine cables.
The floating wind turbine will be installed on the test field for Metcentre and Sustainable Energy Catapult 10 km west of Karmoy. The Norwegian participants are all part of the Norwegian Offshore Wind Cluster that has coordinated the work from the Norwegian side.
The main goal of the project is to demonstrate a cost-effective 10 MW floating offshore wind turbine to ensure that cost per MWh is reduced to 40-60 € / MWh in 2030.
"The partners are now invited to start the process of landing the final agreement, which involves a grant of around 25 million euros. This can thus become one of the largest EU-funded projects in Norway," Norwegian Offshore Wind Cluster said.
