Norway's METCentre has announced the signing of contracts with three companies to demonstrate floating platforms equipped with turbines exceeding 15 MW at its test center.
Details regarding the new test projects remain confidential, as the companies involved are competing for funding under a new support program for floating offshore wind announced by state-owned enterprise Enova in May.
These contracts follow the approval METCentre received in late 2023 to expand its test area, which now accommodates seven turbines, with the potential to generate up to 85 MW. Currently, the site features the world's first floating offshore wind turbine, which was joined in 2021 by the TetraSpar developed by Stiesdal.
Located off Norway's west coast, near the Utsira Nord area, METCentre is poised to support the country's first commercial floating offshore wind farm.
“We are the only place in the world ready with permits to test projects of this capacity,” said Arvid Nesse, head of METCentre and the industry network Norwegian Offshore Wind. “If we are to get floating offshore wind started in Norway without further delays, it must begin at METCentre, so we can gain important knowledge from both the construction and operation processes, and thereby achieve the necessary cost reductions before Utsira Nord.”
