ClassNK Approves, Tohoku Electric Power, BW Ideol Floating Wind Turbine System

Tohoku Electric Power and BW Ideol have obtained Approval in Principle (AiP) from Japan’s Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) for the design of a floating offshore wind turbine system.

The system, based on BW Ideol’s patented Damping Pool technology, features a concrete barge-type floating foundation designed to accommodate a 15 MW-class wind turbine.

Tohoku Electric Power and BW Ideol have been jointly conducting feasibility studies since May 2022 with the aim of commercialising a floating offshore wind power project in Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture.

The floating foundation is made of concrete, which is expected to suit mass production, and a hybrid mooring system using synthetic fibre rope and steel catenary chains has been selected for the mooring system.

BW Ideol had already obtained Basic Design Certification from DNV in May 2025 for its standardised barge-type floating structure designed to accommodate 15 MW-class wind turbines.

Moving forward, both companies will jointly advance a feasibility study off the coast of Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture, based on BW Ideol’s Damping Pool technology.

At the beginning of this month, BW Ideol secured funding by the European Commission under the EU Innovation Fund for a project involving a factory for serial production of concrete floating wind foundations in Fos-sur-Mer, France.