Launch of Research and Development to reduce Cost of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (NEDO)

Tokyo, October 30, 2020 – MODEC, Inc. (“MODEC”), Toyo Construction Co., Ltd. (“Toyo Construction”) and Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (“Furukawa Electric”) are pleased to announce that a proposal applied for the public offering of Research and Development for Technology to reduce Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operating Expense (OPEX) of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines was officially adopted by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (“NEDO”) in Japan. As of October 30, 2020, MODEC, Toyo Construction and Furukawa Electric signed a contract with NEDO related to the foregoing Research and Development.

Offshore Wind Turbines, which are being widely introduced mainly in Europe toward a decarbonized society, will be moving from coastal installations to more windy offshore areas in order to obtain higher energy efficiency, so in addition to the fixed bed type, Floating Offshore Wind Turbines are getting attention as well.

This research and development aim at reducing the overall cost of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines by adopting Tension Leg platform (TLP) instead of the catenary mooring which is being demonstrated in Japan and overseas [refer to Figure-1, 2]. Taking advantage of platform stability by TLP, MODEC, Toyo Construction and Furukawa Electric will develop low-cost next-generation platform and mooring system with structural reliability required for a floater to be mounted with a large capacity wind turbine of over 10 MW, which is expected to be a common size in the actual business application, and durable submarine power transmission line system. In addition, comparing with catenary mooring, the area occupied by mooring lines in the sea can be significantly reduced, so the negative impact on fisheries and ship operations can be minimized, and excellent social acceptability can be realized.

This research and development will be carried out for two years until March 2022, by assigning TLP including mooring system to MODEC, mooring foundation design and offshore construction to Toyo Construction, and subsea power transmission system to Furukawa Electric.

Furukawa Electric has been delivering abundant submarine cables of over 2000 km in Japan and overseas for over 100 years.
We have also participated in the project " Fukushima floating offshore wind farm demonstration project (Fukushima FORWARD)“ funded by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and joint industry R&D project of wind floating offshore wind power generation system in Europa led by Carbon Trust (UK) .
In this research and development, we contribute to the realization of a carbon-free society by developing a low-cost and highly durable submarine cable for floating offshore wind power facilities which enable further introduction of renewable energy. “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” adopted by the UN and our Based our corporate philosophy of “Drawing on more than a century of expertise in the development and fabrication of advanced materials to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society through continuous technological innovation” in mind, we will work toward the realization of a low-carbon society.

[Figure-1] (provided by MODEC)