MT Højgaard and Seatower join forces

MT Højgaard, the company who have deployed most offshore wind foundations globally, have teamed up with foundation specialists Seatower to offer Cranefree gravity foundations. The new foundations have been developed specifically for the deeper waters and bigger turbines that will soon become prevalent in European offshore wind projects.

The Cranefree foundations come out of a EUR 3 million R&D project undertaken by Norwegian Seatower. A wide range of knowhow and technology from offshore oil & gas was applied to the challenges facing offshore wind.  The result is a foundation that is a hybrid concrete/steel structure, which lends itself to efficient mass production and is installed without use of expensive lifting vessels.

─ As the market leader for offshore wind foundations, we have supplied and installed more monopiles than anyone else. Upcoming projects are in deeper waters and have bigger turbines, so new foundation technologies are needed.  We believe that Seatower’s Cranefree gravity foundations will be crucial to the success of many of the offshore wind farms that are now on the drawing board, says Kim Reinhard Andersen, Director of Offshore at MT Højgaard.

According to the newly signed agreement between the two companies, MT Højgaard will offer the Cranefree foundations in the European market. Seatower will provide concept design, as well as key engineering and operational services during the project execution.  The partners will also cooperate on marketing, as well as on R&D to stay at the technology forefront of the industry.

─ With their practical knowledge of offshore wind projects, MT Højgaard immediately understood the benefits of our technology. We believe that MT Højgaard’s experience, expertise and financial strength will make it even more attractive for projects to consider and chose Cranefree foundations, says Petter Karal, CEO of Seatower.

MT Højgaard and Seatower are now looking for opportunities to do a demonstration deployment of a small number of full-scale foundations.

Facts about Cranefree foundations:
Cranefree Gravity (CFG) foundations enable low total project costs. This is particularly due to the simple installation: Tow the foundation to site, lower it to the seabed by water ballasting, and inject concrete under the skirts via inlets on the foundation.  This requires weather windows of only 12 hours, and can be done in maximum waves up to 4 m.