Fukushima Forward is a trial project for offshore wind power, conducted by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The project includes three different types of wind turbines and the world’s first offshore floating substation.
The primary phase, completed in September 2013, saw installation of the substation and one two megawatt floating turbine. The second phase, which includes installation of two 7MW turbines, is ongoing and is expected to be finalised by the end of 2015. Following a successful delivery during phase one, Trelleborg has been selected to provide its distributed buoyancy modules (DBM), bend stiffeners with dynamic bend stiffeners connectors (DBSC), Uraduct cable protection and bending restrictors to the second phase of the project. The products are designed to secure, guide and protect the subsea electrical power cables from excessive movement and bending, which could cause fatigue damage. The aim of the project is to establish the business model of the floating wind farm and contribute to future commercial projects.