EMEC and FLOWRA partner to develop floating wind test site

Japan's Floating Offshore Wind Power Technology Research Association (FLOWRA) and the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) have signed an agreement to cooperate in the field of floating offshore wind.

Building on its experience with wave and tidal testing, EMEC has designed a floating offshore wind test and demonstration site.

The site, based in Scotland, will offer floating wind developers the opportunity to prove performance and de-risk technologies in some of the most challenging metocean conditions in the world.

The Memorandum of Understanding seeks to leverage FLOWRA and EMEC's experience to further establish and manage the site.

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Matthew Finn, managing director of EMEC, commented in a statement: “Floating wind is set to play a major role in the global energy transition, and EMEC is committed to supporting its development. Our MoU with FLOWRA marks an exciting step forward in international collaboration, enabling knowledge exchange and accelerating innovation.

"By leveraging our experience in offshore renewables with the aim of expanding our testing infrastructure, including a new floating wind demonstration site in Scotland, we aim to help developers de-risk technologies in real-world conditions before large-scale deployment. Together, we want to bridge the gap between innovation and investment, advancing the global floating wind market.”

Masakatsu Terasaki, chairperson of the Board, FLOWRA, added: “EMEC is recognised as the world’s first centre for testing power generation technologies in real-sea conditions, serving as a leading global hub for innovation in the marine renewable energy sector and driving the development and commercialisation of new technologies.

"It is a great honour for FLOWRA to collaborate with EMEC, an organisation with a proven track record and deep expertise. By combining our efforts, we aim to accelerate the development of core technologies for floating offshore wind, establish robust verification and evaluation methodologies, and contribute to the expansion of the floating offshore wind market – ultimately helping to realise a sustainable society,” concluded Terasaki.

FLOWRA is a technical research association that works with overseas organisations to research and develop common basic technologies for floating wind to reduce costs and risks.

Based in Orkney, Scotland, EMEC is a leading accredited test laboratory for demonstrating new marine energy technologies. A not-for-profit company, EMEC’s mission is to reduce the time, cost and risk to progress innovative sustainable technologies to market.