Spanish electric utility company Iberdrola will be developing two demonstration projects to further strengthen its position in the floating offshore segment.

As part of this, the company will lead a consortium that seeks to deploy floating turbines with more than 10MW capacity in Norway.

Called Flagship, the project will include design, fabrication, installation and operation of a floating offshore wind turbine.

It will see the use of 10+ MW turbine and a semi-submersible floating concrete structure, the OO-Star Wind Floater.

The floating offshore wind turbine will be tested in the North Sea at the Met Centre, which is located in Norway.

Part of the European Commission’s (EC) Horizon 2020 programme, the Flagship project aims to minimise the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) for floating offshore wind ranging between 40-60€/MWh by 2030.

The Horizon 2020 programme is said to be the largest innovation programme with nearly €80bn of funding available over seven years, between 2014 and 2020.

Companies and institutions from Spain, Norway, France, Denmark and Germany will be part of the consortium.

Fabrication works of the platform are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2021, with installation scheduled for the first quarter of 2022.

Upon successful completion of the project, Iberdrola intends to sign a grant agreement worth nearly €25m with the EC’s Innovation and Networks Executive Agency during the second half of 2020.

Iberdrola global offshore wind managing director Jonathan Cole said: “Iberdrola aims to be a leading player in the floating offshore wind sector, and the demonstration projects that we are developing will ensure we are ready for engaging in large-scale commercial floating wind projects in the near future.

“There is tremendous potential globally for floating technology, as it will open up new markets where water conditions restrict the development of traditional offshore projects.

“We are not tied to any one technology, and we have had a team actively analysing all developments in the sector for many years. Now is the right time to move from research and development in to putting turbines in the water and increasing our knowledge.”

The utility will also join another demonstration project in Spain. Details of this project are yet to be published.

However, Iberdrola noted that different technology will be used for this project in Spain.

Fabrication will be done in the Basque Country and installation will take place in the waters around the Canary Islands or the Basque Country.