The first turbine for the Hywind floating offshore wind farm is making its way to its destination in Scotland, Statoil has announced.
The 6 MW Siemens-Gamesa floating turbine has left the port of Stord in Norway for the project site, located 25 km off the coast of Peterhead. Construction on the project started in late 2016, and assembly of the turbines on their foundations began in June.
The 30 MW Hywind project will demonstrate the concept of floating offshore wind energy, which will enable developers to access new, deep-water project sites. It will comprise five turbines mounted on ballasted steel cylinders and fastened to the seabed by three mooring lines.
Hywind is owned by Statoil and Masdar. It will start operating in late 2017.