Bourbon Subsea Services successfully installs the TetraSpar Demonstrator floating wind turbine
After mooring lines installation in June, towing and hook up in July, Bourbon Subsea Services completed the offshore installation of the 3,6MW TetraSpar Demonstrator Floating Wind Turbine at Metcentre Test site in Norway, by laying and connecting the power cable earlier this week. The wind turbine will be commissioned in the coming weeks.
This success demonstrates again Bourbon Subsea Services’ expertise in managing Floating Wind Turbines (FWT) installation projects and its ability to propose innovative solutions to achieve new complex technical challenges while maintaining low costs. After having installed most of the semi-submersible Floating Wind Turbines from 2.5MW to 8.3MW in Europe since 2011, BOURBON consolidates its position on the market and strengthens its track record with the installation of the first FWT prototype based on the innovative SPAR concept, designed by Stiesdal Offshore Technologies.
When installing a new FWT prototype, Bourbon Subsea Services’ team do not only develop solutions aiming at achieving the new technical challenges related to a specific design but also make sure that the proposed methodology is easily replicable to match the constraints of clients’ future commercial projects. Henrik Stiesdal, inventor of the TetraSpar concept and Chairman of the board of directors of TetraSpar Demonstrator, says, “We value the expertise of Bourbon engineers. Their experience with floating wind is already impressive and with Bourbon’s contribution, we and our partners have been able to execute the cable installation safely and within budget. “Each new technology needs creativity and innovation to mitigate risks and deliver in time. This project was a challenge, and we are very proud to have taken it up for TetraSpar Demonstrator, a joint company between Shell, RWE, Tepco and Stiesdal. As an international company based in France, we are now looking forward to the pre-industrial floating wind farms particularly in France, UK, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Japan and South Korea”, says Patrick Belenfant, CEO of Bourbon Subsea Services.