Floating offshore wind will be key to delivering cost-effective renewable energy to consumers. Equinor is leading the way in developing this technology with Hywind Tampen, the largest floating wind farm to date.

A critical challenge was assembling the 8.6-MW turbines–including tower sections, nacelles and blades–onto huge 107-m spar buoys that lie mainly underwater. This needed to be performed in the controlled environment of a port, where the whole system could be kept as static as possible, before the completed turbines were towed out to their installation site. Weather conditions also posed a challenge.

A spacer barge between the quay and spar foundation was needed to ensure adequate clearance between the base of the foundation and the seabed. Turbine components needed to be lifted over the quay edge, over the spacer barge, then onto the foundations themselves: a distance of about 143 m. 

Following its experience during the deployment of the world’s first floating wind farm, Hywind Scotland (also operated by Equinor), Mammoet was engaged to undertake turbine assembly and associated port-handling work.

Watch a video of the work here.