The Subsea Collector, the first subsea transmission system for floating wind, promises to cut the costs of a 1 GW offshore wind farm by at least 10%.
The Subsea Collector, developed by Aker Solutions, is the world's first subsea transmission system designed for floating wind, tested in Norway. This subsea «energy hub» could save at least 10% of the expected cost of building a 1 GW offshore wind farm.
Note. Article published in January 2024: dates and forecasts refer to that time.
The project, about 10 km off Karmøy in south-western Norway, involves floating wind turbines connected to a transmission system laid on the seabed. The pilot project has been entrusted to Aker Solutions, a Norwegian supplier of subsea solutions for the oil & gas industry that now plays a key role in the energy transition. The collector includes a connection system wet mate from Benestad and subsea switchgear from ABB; installation is planned at the Marine Energy Test Centre (METCentre), with the involvement of DeepOcean and Solstad Offshore.
“The Subsea Collector is an example of true industrial collaboration. By combining Aker Solutions' subsea experience with our partners' control and connection systems, we want to solve the challenges facing the offshore wind sector.”
Jo Kjetil Krabbe, Executive Vice President Power Solutions, Aker Solutions
Why it matters
Floating wind has to contend with limited space and high costs for turbines, components and transport. The outlook remains positive, however: at the time, forecasts pointed to around 7 GW of floating wind in Europe by 2030, with an estimated cost of energy between 53 and 76 €/MWh.
The Subsea Collector electrically connects several floating turbines into a star configuration instead of the traditional string layout. This architecture offers more flexibility in wind farm design and reduces cable length, laying time and therefore installation costs, with estimated savings of 10% on the total cost of a 1 GW farm.
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