Norway Grants EUR 100 Million to Deploy Multi-Turbine Windcatcher Tech

Wind Catching Demo, a subsidiary of Wind Catching Systems, has received a NOK 1.2 billion (approximately EUR 102 million) grant from Enova, a state enterprise owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, for the deployment of a commercial demonstrator unit of its multi-turbine floating wind platform.

Wind Catching Demo has already started the process for a licence for a demonstrator project northwest of Bergen, outside the municipality of Øygarden, north of Vestavind D. The license application involves four units based on the Windcatcher design with a total installed capacity of up to 250 MW.

The grant awarded by Enova is for a demo project with a total installed capacity of 40 MW, which involves one Windcatcher with 40 turbines of a 1 MW output. The demo project, scheduled to be completed in 2029, aims to demonstrate the performance and cost-effectiveness of this type of installation, according to Enova.

The grant is granted on condition that the submitted progress plan is adhered to so that the project can be put into operation within five years. Enova will be kept informed of the progress of the project, especially regarding the granting of a concession and the final investment decision, the government clean energy enterprise said on 27 January.

In July last year, Wind Catching Systems received Approval in Principle (AiP) from DNV for its 40 MW Windcatcher design, which the company said was an important milestone on the route to commercial demonstration of the technology.

The Windcatcher technology, officially unveiled in 2021, utilises smaller turbines and allows for on-site replacement without specialised equipment, according to its developer. The floating wind system is said to have a design life of 50 years and cut acreage use by more than 80 per cent.

This is the third grant for Windcatcher from Enova, following a technology development grant in 2022 and a pre-project grant in 2023 to support the initial implementation of a full-scale Windcatcher.