First Full-Scale Floating Wind Turbine

Technip joins StatoilHydro in celebrating the inauguration of the Hywind demonstration wind turbine, which took place on September 8 in Karmøy, Norway. Located 10 kilometers offshore Karmøy, Hywind is the first full-scale floating wind turbine and has a capacity of 2.3 MW.

Following the award of the turnkey contract for the substructure of the wind turbine in May 2008, Technip’s operating center in Oslo, Norway, performed the project management and installation engineering. Detail design and fabrication of the substructure was carried out at the Group’s construction yard in Pori, Finland, which is specialized in the construction of Spar platforms.

After being towed in a horizontal position to the Åmøyfjoden fjord in Norway, the substructure was up-ended and stabilized before assembly with the wind mill, including the generator and the turbine blades. The completed floating wind mill, now in a vertical position, was then towed to the final location by three vessels and connected to the anchor system in June 2009. The total structure measures 165 meters of which 100 meters below the sea level.

The Hywind demonstration unit will operate for a period of at least two years. The objective is to gain knowledge on practical aspects of the operation and maintenance of floating offshore windmills.