Aberdeen-based floating wind and subsea engineering company Encomara has begun preparations to trial its first Squid connection system for floating wind turbines at the Ardersier Energy Transition Facility in Scotland.
The 40-tonne system, which has been under development for more than five years, is designed to support mooring lines, power cables and subsea connectors above the seabed, allowing them to be pre-installed before a floating turbine arrives at the site.
Encomara says the approach enables faster connection and disconnection of floating wind turbines, reducing offshore construction risks and simplifying operations when turbines are towed back to port.
The inshore trials are expected to be completed this month and will take the system to Technology Readiness Level 8, according to Encomara. The company received Product Design Assessment accreditation from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) in June.
Encomara, part of Aurora Energy Services, said modelling indicates that the Squid system could reduce the levelised cost of energy (LCoE) by up to 15 per cent, citing savings from pre-installed moorings and cables, faster offshore connections, lower vessel costs and reduced lost production time.
The company expects demand for the technology to grow as floating wind moves towards commercial-scale deployment and estimates that around 130 manufacturing and project delivery jobs could be created at Aurora facilities in Huntly and Inverness by 2030.
The trials represent the first floating offshore wind project of this type at the newly developed Ardersier Energy Transition Facility, owned and operated by Haventus.
The Squid was transported by road from Huntly through Keith and Buckie before being transferred to a vessel and transported around the headland to the Ardersier port, located about 14 miles (approximately 22.5 kilometres) east of Inverness in the Moray Firth.
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