BERLIN, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) - An international team of energy and technology companies have started the test run of a floating wind turbine off the coast of Norway, the companies said Wednesday.

Danish tech company Stiesdal and energy companies RWE (Germany), Shell (Netherlands) and TEPCO RP (Japan) have teamed up for the so-called TetraSpar Demonstrator project, setting up the world's first fully industrialized floating offshore foundation. It includes a 3.6-megawatt wind turbine, which was "successfully connected to Norway's grid," the companies said in a joint statement.

The novel concept of the floating wind turbine would offer a "leaner manufacturing, assembly, and installation process with lower material costs," according to the companies.

TetraSpar consists of a tubular steel structure with a keel element suspended below the water line. It was anchored in place at a water depth of 200 meters off the coast of Norway, according to the statement.

In July, the floating TetraSpar foundation including the turbine was towed around 360 nautical miles from port of Grenaa in Denmark to the test site at the Norwegian Marine Energy Test Centre (METCentre).

The German utility RWE said that it's "well on track to become a leader in floating wind and to have one gigawatt either in operation or under construction by 2030." To get a head start, it has been taking part in several pilot projects, including the TetraSpar Demonstrator. Enditem

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