Atkins has been appointed by Swedish company Hexicon as engineering partner for the Dounreay Tri offshore wind floating platform to be located off the north coast of Scotland.
Atkins’ offshore wind team has been working with Hexicon to define the concept since 2015.
It is currently in the process of analysing a two turbine 8–12MW structure ready for front-end engineering design and physical model testing later this year.
Atkins has been involved in more than half a dozen floating wind projects around the world including: Principle Power’s WindFloat prototype in Portugal; Pilot Offshore Renewable’s Kincardine floating wind project; and Statoil’s Hywind floating wind demo.
Atkins renewables business project manager Katherine Ward said: “We’re really pushing the boundaries of what can be done to support Hexicon in maximising energy yield through clever design.
“The team has a great deal of experience in innovative, transformational work both in the renewables and oil and gas sectors and on this project we are going one step further in making such an exciting concept a reality.”
Hexicon project director Marcus Thor said: “Atkins brings innovation, quality and professionalism, and we’re pleased to be working with them on developing our floating wind concept ready for the offshore wind market.
“Our aim is for this project to show how a multi turbine concept can help bring down the cost of offshore wind, enabling this form of renewable energy to be even more financially viable.”
Image: Hexicon floating wind system (Hexicon)
