Hywind Tampen: ArcelorMittal ropes moor the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm

Detailed information

Wind energy to reduce emissions

Hywind Tampen is an 88 MW floating wind project in the Norwegian North Sea located approximately 140 km off the Norwegian coast and consisting of 11 wind turbines supplying the electricity for two offshore platforms. It is the world’s first floating wind farm to power offshore oil and gas platforms. The wind power solution will help reduce the use of gas turbine power, while also offsetting 200 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and 1000 tonnes of NOx emissions per year.

Innovative construction

The Hywind floating wind turbine concept was designed by Equinor. A ballast in the keel of this innovative construction enables it to float vertically in the water.

Hywind Tampen is also a testing environment for future offshore wind projects in terms of assessing new turbines, installation methods, moorings, and gas and offshore wind power generation systems integration.

ArcelorMittal mooring wires secure the turbines

In April 2020, ArcelorMittal Bourg-en-Bresse was selected by Equinor and Aker Solutions to supply a complete package of bridle mooring wires for the fabrication of Equinor’s Hywind Tampen.

In 2021, ArcelorMittal Bourg-en-Bresse delivered 70 segments of sheathed spiral mooring wires fitted with forged sockets required for the project, representing approximately 200 tonnes of steel. The mooring wires have a diameter between 77 and 105 mm, a length of 85 metres, and form part of the anchoring system that ensures the stability of the wind turbines.

Fruitful collaboration between ArcelorMittal's business divisions

ArcelorMittal won the contract for the Hywind Tampen project thanks to excellent cooperation between ArcelorMittal WireSolutions Bourg-en-Bresse and ArcelorMittal Projects. Since 2020, ArcelorMittal Projects has been supporting Bourg-en-Bresse in all prospective rope projects. For this project, ArcelorMittal took advantage of the pre-existing frame and cooperation agreement between Aker Solutions and ArcelorMittal Projects for other steel products (plates, beams, and tubes). This provided a great competitive advantage.

Congratulating the project team, Jean-Marc Liegeois, CEO of ArcelorMittal WireSolutions and Revigny said: “I would like to congratulate the teams working on this project as it confirms ArcelorMittal Bourg-en-Bresse’s ability to produce specialty ropes in a short time. It also shows that we have the competencies, the required know-how, and the market position to become a major player in the growing industry of floating wind farms. Hywind Tampen is now the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm and produces the world’s first renewable power for the offshore oil and gas industry, reinforcing our low-carbon commitment.”