Floating offshore wind developers are increasingly focusing on the impact of marine growth on offshore infrastructure, and a new EU-backed project seeks to address this problem, and thereby improve the reliability and commercial viability of floating wind farms in deeper waters.
Engineering company Alfa Laval has joined the ESOMOOR project, a European initiative aimed at advancing shared mooring technologies for large-scale floating offshore wind farms and addressing technical barriers linked to deployment in deeper marine environments.
The project brings together industry and research partners to develop technologies intended to improve operational efficiency, lower maintenance requirements and reduce the levelised cost of energy for floating offshore wind systems.
One of the central challenges being addressed is biofouling — the accumulation of marine growth on underwater structures and mooring chains. In floating offshore wind installations, this can affect hydrodynamic performance, increase structural loading and lead to higher maintenance demands over time.
As part of the project, Alfa Laval’s Sonihull division will contribute expertise in ultrasonic biofouling prevention systems, which are designed to reduce marine growth on offshore infrastructure without relying on traditional anti-fouling coatings.
“Floating offshore wind represents a critical step in scaling renewable energy in deeper waters, but its long-term performance depends on solving complex operational challenges such as biofouling. Through ESOMOOR, we are contributing our ultrasonic technology expertise to help improve system reliability, efficiency, and sustainability across the full lifecycle of offshore assets,” said Peter Nordström, Chief Technology Officer, Alfa Laval Sonihull.
According to the company, Sonihull’s role in the project will include evaluating marine growth prevention systems under offshore conditions, optimising installation methods for floating platforms and mooring chains, and assessing underwater radiated noise and wider environmental impacts.
The ESOMOOR initiative is also intended to help increase technology readiness levels for floating offshore wind systems as the sector moves toward larger-scale commercial deployment.
Floating offshore wind is widely viewed as a key component of future renewable energy expansion because it enables turbine deployment in deeper waters with stronger and more consistent wind resources than are typically available to fixed-bottom offshore wind farms.
However, operating costs, maintenance complexity and long-term infrastructure reliability remain significant challenges for the sector, particularly in harsh marine environments.
The consortium said the project’s broader aim is to improve understanding of how marine growth affects long-term mooring performance, hydrodynamic efficiency and lifetime energy production, while supporting more sustainable floating offshore wind farm design and operation.
