Encomara’s Squid connection system for floating offshore wind has reached Technology Readiness Level 7/8 following inshore trials at Ardersier Port in Scotland, with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) recognizing the technology as ready for commercial manufacture at scale.
The Aberdeen-based company said the trials covered all remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operations across a range of scenarios, simulating deployment through buoy hook-up, latching, and cable pull-in.
Squid was deployed subsea, then raised and clamped into a full-scale floating I-tube structure that mimicked the hull interface.
The system combines mooring and power-cable connections in a single subsea interface. Its design allows moorings and cables to be installed before a floating turbine arrives at the site, after which the turbine can be rapidly connected. The connection can subsequently be disconnected to allow a turbine to be towed back to port for maintenance.
“Securing TRL8 status marks the final step in the qualification of our technology ready for deployment. It demonstrates that the Squid system has been successfully proven at full scale and is now ready to move into commercial manufacture”, said Ian Donald, Managing Director of Encomara.
The trials followed several stages of development and certification over the past year. In November 2025, ABS granted Squid Approval in Principle (AiP), and in June 2026, the system received Product Design Assessment certification. Encomara then prepared the first full-scale Squid system for inshore testing at Ardersier.
According to modeling studies supported by Scottish Enterprise and industry developers, Encomara estimates that the system could reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCoE) of a floating wind development by up to 20% over its lifetime.
The technology is developed by Encomara and manufactured by Aurora Energy Services (AES), which acquired the Aberdeen-based company in 2025.
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