Subsea Substation: Power beneath the waves
Sometimes innovation makes waves. Sometimes it works quietly beneath them.
The Aker Solutions Subsea Substation moves the focus of offshore wind power below the surface — a design that reduces cost, improves efficiency, cuts emissions, and removes safety risks from manned operations.
Why move power below the surface?
Cost, complexity, and harsh conditions are limiting the vast potential and scale of floating offshore wind.
By shifting the substation from a platform above the sea to the seabed itself, Aker Solutions engineers have found a simpler, smarter way forward.
This innovation is a key step toward scaling renewable energy for the global energy transition.
Designed for depth. Built for decades.
The Subsea Substation sits securely up to 1,500 meters beneath the surface — where storms cannot reach it.
Its robust structure withstands any ocean, in any season, anywhere in the world.
The design delivers:
- Up to 30 percent cost reduction
- Lower CO₂ emissions
- Improved energy efficiency
- Zero safety risk — no manned operations required
- 30-year lifespan with no maintenance
A modular approach to offshore wind
Each substation is made of standardized modules that can be added in parallel — scalable building blocks supporting several gigawatts of renewable energy.
This modular design brings flexibility to developers and makes floating wind projects faster and more economical to deliver.
Powering cities from the seafloor
“A single unit of the Subsea Substation can supply renewable electricity to half a million households — the equivalent of Oslo,”
says Marius Asak, Project Manager.
After 14 years in subsea power for oil and gas, Marius joined Aker Solutions to apply that expertise to large-scale floating wind.
Power Beneath the Waves | Subsea Substation
🎥 Watch Marius explain how the Subsea Substation works:
Powered by collaboration for a cleaner future
The Subsea Substation is developed by Aker Solutions in collaboration with ABB and Benestad. It forms one of four projects in the Ocean Grid program, supported by the Norwegian Research Council and Innovation Norway.
Together, we’re redefining how renewable energy travels from ocean to outlet — safely, efficiently, and sustainably.
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