ORE Catapult’s Floating Offshore Wind Centre of Excellence has launched two new strategic programmes, which mark the start of a new phase in its development.
The two programmes, launched at Floating Offshore Wind 2022 in Aberdeen, will accelerate the development and qualification of critical floating wind technologies.
They will deliver significant impact in specific high priority areas – ensuring the industry has access to the innovative, reliable and cost-effective technologies it needs to reduce the cost and risk of the first large scale floating offshore wind projects.
One programme will focus on dynamic inter-array cable systems and the other on mooring and anchoring systems.
These have been selected as areas where additional resources are required to accelerate research and development to address knowledge gaps and accelerate their development.
Head of floating wind at ORE Catapult Ralph Torr said: “Working with our 16 industry partners, we have developed these strategic programmes in a manner which will allow us to work more directly with the supply chain to support the development and qualification of these critical technologies.
“We’ve chosen areas of focus that directly address some of the most important challenges and opportunities which lie ahead for the development of the floating wind sector in the UK.
“More broadly, these programmes signal the start of a new phase of activity for us and our partners, as we expand our direct work with technology developers to accelerate the deployment of innovative, reliable and cost-effective technologies in key areas of cost and risk reduction in floating offshore wind.”
These technology topics are areas where project developers and the supply chain have identified there is an opportunity for close collaboration and knowledge sharing, which the centre is perfectly placed to deliver, according to ORE Catapult.
The programmes will build on existing areas of growth in the UK supply chain where capability exists, but which require support and guidance to focus and engage with the floating offshore wind industry.
They are also areas where there is a significant export opportunity for the UK supply chain.
Chris Willow, head of floating Wind at RWE and chairman of the FOW CoE, said: “The activities of the Centre of Excellence over the last three years have laid the groundwork for these strategic programmes which shall play a major role in reducing the cost and risk of large scale floating offshore wind projects, as well as creating significant economic opportunities for the UK and beyond.”
Launching these programmes at the Floating Offshore Wind Conference in Aberdeen reflects North East Scotland market’s growth potential, ORE Catapult said.
This is the same motivation behind ORE Catapult’s new Floating Offshore Wind Innovation Centre (FLOWIC) in collaboration with the Energy Transition Zone that is due to open in 2023, it added.