The first issue of the DNV Offshore Standard, DNV-OS-J103 Design of Floating Wind Turbine Structures, was published in June 2013. The standard was based on a joint industry effort with representatives from manufacturers, developers, utility companies and certifying bodies from Europe, Asia and the US. The standard represented a condensation of all relevant requirements for floaters in existing DNV standards for the offshore oil and gas industry which were considered relevant also for offshore floating structures for support of wind turbines, supplemented by necessary adaptation to the wind turbine application. The development of the standard capitalized much on experience from development projects going on at the time, in particular the Hywind spar off the coast of western Norway, the WindFloat off the coast of Portugal and the Pelastar TLP concept. In July 2018, DNV GL published a revision of DNV-OS-J103 as a part of the harmonization of the DNV GL codes for the wind turbine industry after the merger between Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and Germanischer Lloyd (GL) in the fall of 2013. The standard was re-issued as DNVGL-ST-0119 Floating wind turbine structures. This new revision reflects the experience gained after the first issue in 2013 as well as the current trends within the industry. Since 2013, numerous guidelines addressing the design of floating structures for offshore wind turbines have been published by various certifying bodies, and an IEC technical specification on the subject is under way. In addition, several prototypes have been installed and the first small array of floating wind turbines, Hywind Scotland pilot park, are currently in operation. The most important updates in the revision of the standard include formulation of floater-specific load cases, requirements to be fulfilled to support the exemption for design of unmanned floaters with damage stability, and replacement of current consequence-class based requirements for design fatigue factors with low-consequence based factors dependent on the accessibility for inspection and repair, the aim being a safety level against fatigue similar to that which is currently targeted for bottom-fixed structures. Other topics which have been considered in the revision are the floater motion control system and its possible integration with the control and protection system for the wind turbine, the issue of how to deal with slack in tendons in the station keeping system, corrosion, anchor design and power cable design. In parallel to the revision of the standard, a new service specification for certification of floating wind turbines has been developed by DNV GL, identified as DNVGL-SE-0422 Certification of floating wind turbines. For technical requirements, the service specification refers to the revised standard, DNVGL-ST-0119. The technical paper summarizes the updates and changes in the revised standard, in addition to the content of the new service specification.

The first edition of the DNV Offshore Standard “Design of Floating Wind Turbine Structures”, DNV-OS-J103, was published in June 2013. The standard represented a condensation of all relevant requirements for floaters in existing DNV standards for the offshore oil and gas industry which were considered relevant also for offshore floating structures for support of wind turbines, supplemented by necessary adaptation to the wind turbine application. As part of the harmonization of the DNV GL codes for the wind turbine industry after the merger between Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and Germanischer Lloyd (GL) in the autumn of 2013, DNV GL currently plans to publish a revision of DNV-OS-J103 in 2017, to become identified as DNVGL-ST-0119. The new revision is intended to reflect the experience gained since 2013 as well as the current trends within the industry.

Floating offshore wind turbines is a field undergoing major development. Several companies and research institutes worldwide are engaged in research programs, pilot projects and even planning of commercial floating wind farms. Developing standards for design of floating wind turbine structures and a framework for prevailing rules are crucial and necessary for the industry to continue to grow. Det Norske Veritas (DNV) is an international provider of offshore standards for both the oil and gas industry and the wind energy industry. The standard DNV-OS-J101 “Design of Offshore Wind Turbine Structures” provides principles, technical requirements and guidance for design, construction and in-service inspection of offshore wind turbine structures. As a first step towards updating this standard to fully cover floating wind turbine structures, a DNV Guideline for Offshore Floating Wind Turbines has been established. This development is based on identification of current floating wind turbine concepts and the guideline includes an evaluation of what is required to make DNV-OS-J101 suitable for floating wind turbine structures. This paper presents the highlights of the new DNV Guideline for Offshore Floating Wind Turbine Structures.

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