|
The TetraSpar Demonstrator, described by its developers as “the world’s first fully industrialised floating offshore foundation” – employing mass-production methods in a factory environment – is now in operation off the coast of Norway at a location where the water depth is around 200 m. The TetraSpar foundation is a tetrahedral structure assembled from tubular steel components, expected to offer significant competitive advantages over alternative floating wind concepts
The TetraSpar Demonstrator, a floating foundation for offshore wind, equipped with a 3.6 MW Siemens wind turbine, has been successfully connected to Norway’s grid. Commissioning was completed on 29 November 2021 and the TetraSpar Demonstrator – owned by Shell, TEPCO RP, RWE and Stiesdal – is now said to be “producing power in automatic, unattended operation.”
It is moored off the coast of Norway, with three anchor lines, at 200 m water depth. In July, the TetraSpar Demonstrator reached its destination, at Norway’s METCentre (Marine Energy Test Centre) test site, 10 km west of the island of Karmöy, after a tow of 360 nautical miles from the port where it was assembled, Grenaa, Denmark.
The commissioning of the 3.6 MW Siemens turbine was described as “the last in a string of
milestones” for the TetraSpar Demonstrator: ● Completion of the factory manufacturing of the components for “the world’s first industrially manufactured floating offshore foundation.”
● Fast assembly of the modules at the quayside, requiring no welding and no special port facilities.
● Launch using a semisubmersible barge, followed by rapid turbine installation using an ordinary onshore crane.
Left: Commissioning was completed on 29 November 2021 and the TetraSpar Demonstrator is now in full operation
● The world’s first spar based foundation to be deployed “from an ordinary, shallow-water port”. Tetra foundations typically have an unballasted draft of 8-10 m, with turbine installed.
The demonstration project, say the developers, has shown that Stiesdal’s ‘Tetra’ concept remains on target to offer important advantages over existing floating wind concepts, with the potential for leaner manufacturing, assembly, and installation, and with lower material costs. Henrik Stiesdal, chairman of the board of
Right: The
demonstration project uses the Tetra floating
foundation technology in a “spar
configuration”, suited for 100-1000+ meter water depth
Above: Mounting of the diagonals using proprietary technologies for fast assembly at the quayside
Right: Completed foundation (left) and keel (right)
www.modernpowersystems.com | January/February 2022 | 15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45
