Abstract
After more than 15 years’ service life of the first large offshore wind farms in the North Sea, mostly positive experiences are reported on the condition of the protective coating systems. Today however, the requirements for corrosion protection for new projects are often extended to at least 25 years’ maintenance-free service lifetime. In comparison, the highest durability class described in ISO 12944 is more than 15 years until first expected maintenance. Therefore, much needed committee work is in progress with the intent to update ISO 12944 with extended durability classes. In order to bring down the construction cost of the support structures for offshore wind, initiatives have been taken to industrialize the coating application process and to use standard components wherever possible. Extended pre-qualification tests have recently been proposed in order to convince owners and certifiers that new coating systems may actually have 25 years’ maintenance-free service lifetime. The paper discusses the need for more documentation on coating systems for extended lifetime and the possibilities of reducing the costs for corrosion protection. Valuable information from decommissioning of old wind farm structures and platforms may provide crucial information and documentation.
