Aker Solutions has signed a FEED contract with the Marine Energy Test Centre (METCentre) in Norway to pilot new subsea power system technology which has the potential to significantly reduce costs and complexity of offshore wind farms.
The project will see Aker Solutions provide new power transmission technology, Subsea Collector, for the METCentre’s offshore wind test area.
This consists of two floating offshore turbines, located 10km off the south-western coast of Karmoy, Norway.
The test area will expand to seven floating machines from 2026.
Subsea Collector provides an alternative solution to connect multiple turbines electrically in a star configuration instead of the traditional daisy chain pattern, allowing for more flexibility in offshore wind farm architecture and construction, Aker said.
It said the design also allows for reduced cable length per unit and park, as well as less vessel time and installation costs.
Initial findings support total cost savings on a 1GW floating wind farm of up to 10%, Aker added.
The main parts of the Subsea Collector is 66kV wet mate connection system provided by Benestad and subsea switchgear with supervisory control and data acquisition by subsea power and automation alliance partner, ABB.
Installation will be carried out by Windstaller Alliance, an partnership between Aker Solutions, DeepOcean and Solstad Offshore.
Aker Solutions will also provide the static export cable to shore.
Executive vice president of power solutions at Aker Solutions Jo Kjetil Krabbe said: “The Subsea Collector is a great example of true industry collaboration.
“Combining Aker Solutions’ vast subsea experience with our partner’s proven control and connection systems, we aim to solve challenges currently facing the offshore wind sector.
“We hope this project will result in a field proven system that can benefit the industry for many years to come.”
The METCentre evaluated several alternative configurations for its new cable infrastructure and concluded on moving forward with a pilot installation of Aker Solutions’ Subsea Collector to enable the expansion of the test site.
Chief executive of METCentre and Norwegian Offshore Wind Arvid Nesse added: “This pioneering project will contribute to shaping the infrastructure in future large scale floating wind parks.
“The technology is under development, and the project demonstrates how Norwegian subsea expertise from the oil and gas industry drives innovation forward within floating offshore wind on a global scale.”