Xodus Group will plan and carry out an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for Statoil’s potential pilot park for the world’s first full-scale floating wind turbine. The Hywind turbine is based on the Hywind Demo prototype, which has been tested with success by Statoil in Norway more than a year. An area located off the North-east coast of Scotland will be appraised as a prospective candidate for a possible first pilot park of up to five units, generating renewable electricity offshore.
The Hywind has been designed for deep rough water, based on technologies from the oil and gas industry. Its structure is composed of a slender steel cylinder filled with a ballast of water and rocks, holding a wind-turbine on top. It extends approximately 80m beneath the sea’s surface and is attached to the seabed by a three-point mooring spread.
The environmental study, determining the effects a deployment of a Hywind Pilot Park may have, will begin this summer 2011. The Xodus Group team will carry out a thorough assessment of the proposed development, in close cooperation with Statoil, to determine any possible impacts. One distinct advantage of the floating structure is that the turbines do not need to be piled into the seabed, decreasing its environmental impact.
