Fred Olsen 1848 claims floating wind milestone as Brunel gets DNV nod
Brunel foundation conceived for North Sea operations gets Basic Design Certification
Norway’s Fred Olsen 1848 claimed a milestone for its push into floating wind technology as its Brunel foundation completed its basic design phase.
Brunel was awarded a Basic Design Certification by DNV, a move Fred Olsen 1848 said marks a significant step in the technology’s journey towards commercialisation.
Brunel, named after the great British engineer, is a low-draft semisubmersible platform engineered around mass-producible steel tubulars, such as are used for smaller wind turbine towers or monopile foundations.
These can be manufactured at a large number of existing factories and transported piecemeal to coastal yards for assembly into platforms that are then towed-out to site for installation.
Anne Lene Haukanes Hopstad, DNV’s Project Manager, said: “Achieving the Statement of Compliance for Basic Design is an important step for Brunel. This certification module has been a follow up from the concept certification performed in 2022 and has shown that Brunel has matured.
“As designs and technologies develop, ensuring safety is paramount for floating offshore wind projects in securing project finance and demonstrating operational applications.”
Geir Grimsrud, Chief Technical Officer of Fred Olsen 1848, added: “Through thorough design methodologies and collaboration, we've attained a pivotal moment in our journey.”