Odfjell Oceanwind, in collaboration with automation and manufacturing company Prodtex, has established a joint venture for the manufacturing of foundations for floating wind turbines, named Windsteel Technologies.The joint venture aims to establish the production capacity necessary to meet the demand for hundreds of floating wind foundations per year in Europe alone and is targeting to have its first facility operational by 2027. Windsteel Technologies will develop large factories tailored to deliver floating foundations and act as a hub for distributing these foundations to the market. It will work closely with specialist companies from both local and international supply chains. The establishment of Windsteel Technologies is based on the understanding that manufacturing floating offshore wind foundations will require an industrial production approach. Currently, Windsteel Technologies is actively engaging in discussions with landowners, ports, and logistic bases to host its first factories. These factories will be strategically located in close proximity to markets expected to pioneer the development of floating offshore wind, including the North Sea basin, which is likely to witness the first large-scale floating wind parks by the end of this decade. Geir Bjørkeli, former CEO of Corvus Energy, has been appointed to lead the venture.
