Japanese utility Kansai backs floating offshore wind firm Odfjell Oceanwind
Japanese utility Kansai backs floating offshore wind firm Odfjell Oceanwind | Windpower Monthly
Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Company has bought into Odfjell Oceanwind to help the Norwegian engineering firm expand its floating offshore wind ambitions.
Kansai bought an unconfirmed “large” stake in Odfjell Oceanwind, joining compatriot shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines, oil and gas services company Odfjell Technology and the Odfjell family as shareholders.
It has already partnered with Odfjell Oceanwind on two individual projects: one, designed to power oil and gas extraction in the Norwegian Barents Sea with floating wind, and the other, a bid for Norway’s planned floating offshore wind auction.
CEO Per Lund said: “The raised capital will enable us to accelerate our journey towards becoming a global technology leader in floating offshore wind even further.”
Odfjell Oceanwind aims to support and partner with offshore wind developers using its technologies.
Its Deepsea Star concept is a column-stabilised, semi-submersible steel design in which the turbine tower can be positioned centrally – rather than over one of the three columns – that the company claims will distribute load more evenly.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: wind
Decades of government support for the development of wind energy has resulted in lower costs and a rapidly growing share of electricity generated by wind turbines. Wind in 2019 accounted for 7.3 percent of electrical generation, surpassing for the first time hydropower at 7.0 percent.