Seizing the opportunity of floating offshore wind

In a bid to speed up the energy transition, governments around the globe have looked to new sources of renewable and lower carbon energy.

Fixed wind installations currently lead offshore renewable generation. However, with most of the world’s untapped wind resources identified in waters at least 60 meters deep, the development of floating offshore wind turbines will be necessary if overarching targets are to be met.

It is in the potential of floating offshore wind in these deeper waters that the opportunity lays for our members.

IMCA Contact

Rhys Jones
Technical Adviser – Marine Renewable Energy
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Over the last decade, the focus has been on testing and scaling demonstrator floating offshore wind technology. We are now entering the “pre-commercial stage” as the sector approaches delivery of its first-generation projects and projections from the Global Wind Industry Council forecast annual installations to cross the 1 GW threshold by the end of 2026.

Creating the conditions for success

What is required to ensure the success of floating offshore wind? Beyond the most obvious requirements for the right natural conditions, overall success will be dependent on ensuring supportive policy, regulatory and commercial environments.

IMCA is proactive on behalf of all marine contractors in these areas. Through ongoing engagement with the key global industry stakeholders – including governments, strategic partners, and regulators – IMCA is ensuring that our members’ voices are heard clearly on these key issues.

The most recent example is our work on developing contracting principles for offshore wind, which highlights the key issues the industry needs to consider if we are to ensure a sustainable supply chain.

Another key factor crucial to the future success of floating offshore wind will be understanding the unique risk profile of the technology. Ensuring that risks are well understood and suitably controlled at the earliest point will mitigate against issues arising later in a project’s development. In the long run this will improve efficiency and safety performance whilst reducing costs and is an area in which IMCA members can positively contribute through the depth of their experience and technical expertise.

In the coming months, IMCA will add to its extensive library of standards, guidance, information notes and other documents with new work exploring floating wind projects.

To help us get there, we are convening a focal group that will work collaboratively to support the technical development for floating offshore wind and ensure the safe, effective, and efficient transition of existing marine operation processes.

The group’s activity will focus on identifying synergies with existing marine operations guidance, analysing the technical and competence requirements, and feeding into the activity of other organisations and regulators.

Through the identification of synergies within existing marine operations guidance we will be able to signpost the existing technical and competence solutions already available, whilst avoiding the unnecessary and costly duplication and divergence we have unfortunately seen in the past.

Exploring the technical and competence requirements of marine operations related to offshore floating wind will ensure we identify any gaps and provide an opportunity to work alongside stakeholders to develop new industry best practice guidelines where required.

Working collaboratively across the industry to support partner organisations and regulators will mean that IMCA members are at the forefront of developing robust and pragmatic processes to support the delivery of floating offshore wind across the globe.

The opportunity for floating offshore wind is clear and the potential huge. But it cannot be seized without IMCA members playing a vital role in shaping its safe and efficient delivery over the coming years. Our focal group is one way we are facilitating this, and we look forward to working together.

IMCA Members interested in getting involved in the working group are encouraged to email the membership team today.

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