TetraSpar Demonstrator ApS will decommission its floating offshore wind prototype this summer, closing out a five-year test programme off Norway that has validated key design principles for commercial-scale deployment.
The 3.6 MW demonstrator, operating at the Marine Energy Test Centre (METCentre) offshore Karmøy since 2021 with a 130 metre Siemens turbine, has generated nearly 70 million kWh. It achieved a 51.4% capacity factor and 98% availability, demonstrating remarkable reliability under the harsh conditions of the North Sea.
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The project – owned by Stiesdal Offshore, RWE, and TEPCO Renewable Power – will be decommissioned by contractor Global Maritime, which will recover the structure for a detailed post-mortem inspection. This process will provide rare long-term data on material fatigue, corrosion resistance, and hydrodynamic performance after nearly five years submerged.
Operators at METCentre coordinated continuous monitoring, capturing over 40,000 hours of operational data that will inform certification standards and supply chain readiness. The campaign reinforces Norway’s testbed role in floating wind, bridging innovation to market as Europe accelerates deepwater projects.
This physical validation comes at a critical moment for floating wind, as developers move toward gigawatt-scale projects in water depths beyond the reach of fixed-bottom foundations. TetraSpar’s modular four-spar steel hull has demonstrated strong potential for factory serialisation, with mooring and station-keeping data now feeding into Stiesdal’s pipeline of 6 MW-plus designs. A full structural analysis following decommissioning is expected to further de-risk scaling and help reduce capital expenditure through more optimised platform designs.
With global floating capacity projected to hit 5 GW by 2030, decommissionings like TetraSpar provide the forensic evidence needed to underwrite bankability and win investment for the next wave of deployments.
