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California-based Aikido Technologies and Norway’s Odfjell Oceanwind have secured slots at the Marine Energy Test Centre (METCentre) to test their new floating offshore wind projects.

Odfjell Oceanwind secured a slot with a 24 MW capacity grid connection at METCentre, with the ambition of installing one full-scale floating offshore wind turbine in 2028.

The project, named SCALEWIND, will demonstrate all components in a utility-scale wind farm, including an extra-large wind turbine, the Deepsea Star semi-submersible steel foundation, a mooring system, dynamic cables, and a subsea infrastructure for collecting and delivering the power to the onshore grid.

The company said it will also work closely with METCentre in order to mature and develop the engineering, procurement, installation, and commissioning of the seabed infrastructure, which will be shared between the SCALEWIND project and potential other future demonstrators at the centre.

“Demonstrators like the SCALEWIND project are essential to de-risk floating offshore wind prior to scaling to larger projects like Utsira Nord, INTOG, Scotwind and others,” said Per Lund, CEO of Odfjell Oceanwind.

“The world has still not seen the technology that is required for developing these multi-turbine and multibillion-dollar projects. The largest floating offshore turbine deployed so far is 9.5MW, whilst the Utsira Nord and other utility-scale projects are expected to use turbines with more than twice that capacity.”

Aikido Technologies will deploy what they say is a first-of-its-kind 15 MW demo project, called ‘AO60’, at METCentre.

Once installed in 2027, the platform will be one of the largest floating wind platforms constructed and deployed to date, according to METCentre. The Aikido platform consists of thirteen modular steel components, including columns and trusses, that can be fabricated at existing offshore wind or steel fabrication sites.

For the AO60 project, the components will be transported to a final assembly site near the test centre, where the platform can be completed in a matter of days, not months, like traditional construction techniques, added METCentre.

“As evidenced by the recent Utsira Nord actions, Norway is a first-moving floating wind market. This project will show how Aikido can leverage existing infrastructure and vessels to reduce risks and accelerate the deployment of floating wind first in Norway and then around the world,” said Sam Kanner, CEO of Aikido.

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