|
Swedish start-up Hexicon reports progress with the development of its floating wind concept, which envisages two turbines per platform mounted on tilting towers
The 1.3 GW MunmuBaram project off the south- east coast of South Korea, 65-80 km from Ulsan, water depth 120-150 km, expected load factor 40%, is one of the biggest planned floating wind farms in the world. It is “set to play a significant role in the global development of commercial scale floating wind” says Hexicon – Stockholm- based developer of the TwinWind two-turbine floating wind foundation – which has increased its direct ownership stake in the project. Formally established in 2019, MunmuBaram indeed has ambitions to be the world’s “first large-scale floating wind project.” Hexicon Korea, a JV between Hexicon and Korean company COENS & Co, in which Hexicon holds 49%, held 20% of MunmuBaram – corresponding to an indirect ownership for Hexicon of just below 10% before the recent transaction. Post transaction, Hexicon holds 20% of the project company, with the remaining 80% owned by Shell Overseas Investments. Hexicon’s TwinWind concept consists of two full size turbines mounted on two tilting towers placed on a single floating foundation, free to rotate round a single mooring point. The aim is to enable more power to be generated in a given sea area, increasing the power density, reducing the number of platforms and cabling needed for a given power output, and lowering environmental impacts.
Another recent significant development for
Hexicon and TwinWind was the success of its TwinHub demonstrator project in the Celtic Sea in Allocation Round 4 of the UK’s Contracts for Difference scheme (the UK government’s main mechanism for supporting low carbon power generation technologies). It is the first ever dedicated CfD award for floating wind in the UK. Seen as a “major stepping stone project” for Hexicon’s TwinWind technology, the 32 MW TwinHub floating offshore wind facility has secured 15 years of CfD revenue support from the UK government under the scheme, at a strike price of £87.30/MWh (2012 real prices, delivery year 2026/27), “taking the project a significant step closer to completion.”
Hexicon believes the TwinHub project, which is supported by a team from Bechtel, will help kick start the floating wind sector in the south west of the UK and pave the way for larger scale commercial projects in the Celtic Sea, utilising TwinWind and other floating technologies, contributing towards the UK government’s target of 5 GW of floating offshore wind by 2030. TwinHub will be deployed within the Wave Hub renewable test site, approximately 16 miles off the coast of Hayle in Cornwall, UK. It will connect to an existing subsea cable which runs from the site to an onshore substation in Hayle, making full use of the legacy infrastructure on the site. The offshore site will host two TwinWind floating offshore wind platforms, each with two
turbines. Water depth ranges from 50 to 60 m and the platforms will be anchored to the seabed with a single point mooring using a catenary anchor system.
In July 2021, Hexicon completed its acquisition of the Wave Hub test site from local authority, Cornwall Council, through its UK subsidiary TwinHub Ltd. Assets included: a 30 MW grid- connection (expandable to 40 MW); a four-way seabed hub; 16 km offshore and four inter array cables; an onshore substation and related land; a consent over eight square kilometres of sea; and a 25-year seabed lease option from the Crown Estate.
The TwinHub demonstrator received Section 36 consent in 2020 and was awarded a marine licence in January 2022.
Menwhile, the first deployment of a full-scale TwinWind platform is planned for the METCentre deep water test site off the coast of Norway. With a water depth of 200 m, favourable seabed conditions, shallow gradient, and excellent wind resource, the METCentre site is considered an optimum location for this pilot proof of principle project, called TwinWay, a key milestone in scaling the patented TwinWind concept. Hexicon is partnering with Worley on the FEED (front-end engineering and design), EPF (engineering procurement fabrication) and installation management of TwinWay. Following successful completion of FEED, Worley will
www.modernpowersystems.com | September 2022 | 23
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
