Ørsted to License Low-Noise Monopile Installation Tech, Signs First Agreement with Luxcara

Luxcara has signed a preferred supplier agreement with Ørsted for their low-noise jetting-based monopile installation technology platform called Osonic, which will be used for offshore wind turbine foundations across Luxcara’s offshore wind portfolio in Germany.

This is the first preferred supplier agreement for Osonic as well as the first step towards commercial deployment of the technology.

Osonic is a patent-pending jetting technology that reduces the soil’s resistance to penetration, enabling foundations to sink more quietly into the seabed with minimal impact on marine life, which should allow for the replacement of conventional pile-driving, said the Danish company.

“Already in 2022, Luxcara started looking into different low-noise offshore installation methods. We are pleased to now deepen the collaboration with Ørsted and look forward to preparing the next steps for the implementation of their low-noise installation technology, which has already been successfully deployed in the German North Sea,” said Holger Matthiesen, Director of Offshore Wind & Green Hydrogen at Luxcara.

The implementation of the Osonic installation method at Ørsted’s Gode Wind 3 offshore wind farm resulted in a 99 per cent decrease in underwater noise levels relative to the most commonly used installation method, according to Ørsted.

The company added that the noise levels were reduced significantly to a level just marginally above the ambient noise found in the German Bight in the North Sea. 

“By reaching an agreement with Luxcara, we’re taking Osonic from concept to commercial offering, which demonstrates Ørsted’s strong track record of innovation as well as Osonic’s potential. We’re seeing increased interest from offshore wind developers across European key markets, and with this landmark agreement, we’re laying the groundwork for broader adoption,” said Patrick Harnett, Executive Vice President and Chief Construction Officer at Ørsted.

Ørsted is to license the technology and, under the preferred supplier agreement, will also act as an engineering, procurement, and construction consultant to Luxcara for its deployment.

Luxcara is developing the 1.5 GW Waterekke and the 300 MW Waterkant offshore wind farms in Germany.

In August, the company signed a capacity reservation agreement with Siemens Gamesa for the delivery of 97 15-MW turbines for the Waterekke project and said it is also considering the same model for Waterkant.