Page 8: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 2021)

O? shore Wind

Floating Wind ... Opportunities, Challenges

By Bartolomej Tomic, Managing Editor, Offshore Engineer he ? oating offshore wind in- dustry, still considered nascent – and minuscule compared to

Tthe installed capacity of its “older brother,” – that is the convention- al, ? xed bottom offshore wind industry (29GW at 2019 end) – is showing prom- ise and is expected to take off big time by the end of the decade.

While the current installed capacity – less than 100MW – is small and focused on pilot and demonstration projects, the potential is there for the ? oating wind farms to reach and, theoretically, even © World Energy Reports surpass the installed capacity of the tra- ditional offshore wind turbines, and not resource available beyond the 60-meter sents a signi? cant opportunity to those by a little, given that there are no water water depth, the general threshold con- in the supply chain, and the companies sidered for ? oating solutions. that have traditionally served the off- depth limitations for installation.

“Some 80% of the world’s wind re- shore oil and gas industry. Concrete

OE TV interviewed Philip Lewis, Di- source is found in deeper waters suited contractors will bene? t, as well.

rector of Research, World Energy Re- ports, and author of OUTLOOK FOR to ? oating wind foundations. These According to WER’s offshore wind

OFFSHORE WIND POWER, THE resources are generally able to access report, ? oating offshore projects dif-

FRONTIER OF FUTURE ENERGY, to higher quality wind resource. Further, fer from bottom ? xed in that offshore learn more about the opportunities and ? oating structures can deploy larger construction and installation calls on challenges in the industry that could rise turbines which support higher capacity methods very familiar to oil & gas off- to prominence sooner that one might factors, which means they produce more shore yards and offshore support vessel electricity,” Lewis says. (OSV) owners and operators.

think.

So, where are we now? We are passing “At World Energy Reports, we see the

Lewis ? rst provided some context on the traditional offshore wind industry, from the prototype and demonstration opportunities for traditional offshore project phase towards industrial-scale and marine companies that support the which uses ? xed-bottom turbines, in- ? oating wind farms, Lewis says. oil and gas sector like offshore yards, stalled at water depths of up to 60 me-

According to World Energy Reports, mooring system chain and anchor man- ters.

“…bottom-? xed offshore wind farms the ? oating wind installed capacity will ufacturing and OSV operators. We also have been in operation since 1991, and reach between 8 to 10 GW by the end of see exciting opportunities for those not so this is not a new industry. We saw the this decade, and next decade WER ex- traditionally involved in the offshore true industrialization of the sector over pects to see more than 60GW of ? oating oil and gas market, such a pre-cast con- wind farms commissioned. crete and in-situ concrete contractors the last decade and the adoption by more

Worth reminding, DNV GL recently and manufacturers of synthetic ropes,” and more European and East Asian said that ? oating wind could grow 2000- Lewis says, however warning that WER countries of this increasingly cost-com- fold, by 2050 (DNV-GL), from 100 MW does not feel that the supply chain has petitive technology,” he said.

today to 250 GW in 2050. fully embraced the scope and scale of the opportunities that exist in this sector.

80% in Deeper Waters

Opportunity for Supply Chain Firms

However, Lewis says the reason World

Lewis says that the expected growth 60 Concepts

Energy Reports is so interested in ? oat- ing offshore wind is the sheer amount of in the ? oating wind industry also repre- World Energy Reports is tracking 8 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • January 2021

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