Japan signs MoU with EMEC for floating wind

The Floating Offshore Wind Power Technology Research Association (FLOWRA) of Japan and Orkney-based EMEC, off the north coast of Scotland, will ’accelerate the development of core technologies for floating offshore wind, establish robust verification and evaluation methodologies and contribute to the expansion of the floating offshore wind market – ultimately helping to realise a sustainable society’, a statement said.

FLOWRA works with overseas organisations, it says, to develop common basic technologies in the field and reduce costs and risks. 

“Floating wind is set to play a major role in the global energy transition, and EMEC is committed to supporting its development,” said EMEC managing director Matthew Finn. “Our MoU with FLOWRA marks an exciting step forward in international collaboration, enabling knowledge exchange and accelerating innovation.”

FLOWRA, which was founded by Japanese utilities, energy companies and developers, was only set up 18 months ago but aims to promote domestic supply-chain development, joint research and international cooperation to adapt floating wind technologies to Japan’s maritime conditions.

“EMEC is recognised as the world’s first centre for testing power generation technologies in real-sea conditions, serving as a leading global hub for innovation in the marine renewable energy sector and driving the development and commercialisation of new technologies,” said FLOWRA board chairman Masakatsu Terasaki.

“It is a great honour for FLOWRA to collaborate with EMEC, an organisation with a proven track record and deep expertise. By combining our efforts, we aim to accelerate the development of core technologies for floating offshore wind, establish robust verification and evaluation methodologies, and contribute to the expansion of the floating offshore wind market – ultimately helping to realise a sustainable society.”

Pioneering EMEC

EMEC’s projects extend beyond testing wave and tidal technologies into whole-system projects. Here are just four of its current projects:

ReFLEX Orkney: Creating an integrated energy system for the islands, linking electricity, transport, and heat. 

Electric Orkney: Trialling Artemis electric hydrofoil vessels on inter-island routes. Alongside vessel development, EMEC is installing high-capacity charging infrastructure while gathering vital data on vessel and system performance.

CorPower Ocean’s 5 MW wave energy array: Developed at EMEC’s Billia Croo test site, this project will see up to 14 wave energy converters deployed by 2029 in the UK’s largest wave power initiative. 

National Floating Wind Test Centre: A proposed site around 20 km west of Orkney, designed for grid-connected turbines up to 20MW, it would provide real-world conditions to test floating offshore wind technologies before they are rolled out at commercial scale.