WFO Global Summit 2026 and FOW Crash Course in Barcelona

Oct 10, 2025

S&B participates and contributes on Floating Offshore Wind Risk and Insurance at WFO Global Summit 2026 and WFO FOW Crash Course

DCDYNAMIC consortium partner Skowronnek & Bechnak GmbH (S&B) participated in this year’s World Forum Offshore Wind (WFO) Global Summit in January 2026 in Barcelona (Spain), joining a series of expert discussions focused on advancing floating offshore wind technologies to commercial scale.

On the first day of the summit, Ralf Skowronnek, Risk & Insurance Advisor and Co-Founder of S&B, took part in the Floating Offshore Wind (FOW) Committee panel discussion. The panel, moderated by Agni Argyri of WFO, summarised the work done as part of the WFO sub-committees and explored perspectives from across the offshore wind value chain, with discussions centred on technical development, standardisation and mass-production, O&M strategies, as well as investment readiness, which goes hand in hand with the FOW technology present level of insurability.

In addition, both Ralf Skowronnek and Barbora Bechnak, Risk & Insurance Advisors and Co-Founders of S&B, contributed to the summit’s training event one day workshop “Floating Offshore Wind Crash Course”, engaging with professionals on key topics related to offshore infrastructure, simplification and streamlining of production, transportation, installation, O&M and certification, and giving a lecture on insurance and related bankability. The workshop forms part of the WFO’s efforts to support knowledge-building and best practice exchange across the industry. The engagement of the participants, raising more questions than could be accommodated, showed the personal commitment to learn, exchange and really understand what can be done to advance FOW to commercial scale.

The event brought together more than 190 stakeholders from across the globe, underscoring the importance of international collaboration to achieve the renewable energy targets by including the floating offshore wind power generating capacity.

S&B’s engagement in the summit aligns with their work in DCDYNAMIC in enhancing the trustworthiness of emerging cable technologies and continuing the dialogue with relevant stakeholders at such important events.

Please see the brochure: Floating Offshore Wind Crash Course Flyer

Left: Ralf Skowronnek and Barbora Bechnak during the Floating Offshore Wind Crash Course. Right: Ralf Skowronnek at the Committee panel discussion.

Poster Award for DCDYNAMIC Research at the 5th DOSChem Symposium 2025

Oct 10, 2025

Poster Award for Sebastian Hummer at the 5th DOSChem Symposium 2025 🌟

On 25 – 26th September, the 5th DOSChem Symposium 2025 brought together early-stage researchers from across disciplines in Vienna to share their scientific advances. Among them was Sebastian Hummer, PhD candidate at Universität Wien, who presented his work within the DCDYNAMIC project.

Sebastian’s research focuses on developing economically viable recycling processes for used cable materials. His contribution to Work Package 6 targets the catalytic degradation of cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) through homogeneous metal-organic catalyst systems – an approach that supports the DCDYNAMIC project objective to reduce HVDC insulation components’ climate footprint through sustainable product design.

We are delighted to share that Sebastian’s poster was recognised with a Poster Award, highlighting the relevance and quality of his contribution to innovations in XLPE recycling.

🎉 Congratulations to Sebastian for this poster award!

DCDYNAMIC Annual General Assembly Meeting 2025

Sep 20, 2025

DCDYNAMIC Annual General Assembly Meeting 2025: Collaboration and Progress in Manchester

On 11 September 2025, the partners of the DCDYNAMIC consortium gathered in Manchester, UK, for a full-day hybrid Annual General Assembly Meeting. Hosted by the University of Manchester, the meeting brought together face-to-face almost all project partner to review progress, discuss challenges, and strengthen collaboration within the project.

Throughout the day, partners presented updates from their respective work packages, showcasing advances in the research related to high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology, the preferred solution for transmitting electricity over long distances and key enabler for floating offshore wind and Europe’s electricity grid. Constructive discussions focused on scientific progress, technical achievements, and next steps towards achieving the project’s ambitious goals.

The meeting also served as a valuable opportunity to reflect on lessons learned during the first year of implementation and to align efforts towards the upcoming poject phases. Exchanges across disciplines highlighted DCDYNAMIC’s strong collaborative spirit and its role in advancing innovation in DC dynamic cable, sustainability and testing methodologies.

The day concluded with a working dinner at a Persian restaurant, where partners continued their discussions in a relaxed setting, fostering dialogue beyond science. This informal exchange strengthened the consortium’s cohesion and reinforced the sense of shared purpose driving DCDYNAMIC forward.

All participants left Manchester with new insights, strengthened partnerships and a clear roadmap for the months ahead.

A big thank you to everyone who participated in the meeting, and a special thanks to UNIMAN for their hospitality.

IEEE Conference on Electrical Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena in Manchester

Jul 20, 2025

DCDYNAMIC Partner Meet in Karlskrona

Jul 10, 2025

DCDYNAMIC Partners Meet in Karlskrona

Beginning of July, partners from The University of Manchester, ETH Zürich, Shell and NKT convened for an in-person meeting hosted at NKT’s high-voltage cable factory in Karlskrona, Sweden. The agenda was centred on enhancing inter-work package coordination, in-depth discussions about technical progress and shared challenges. The programme also featured a guided tour of NKT’s manufacturing facility, providing a tangible connection to the project’s ambition of advancing 320 kV HVDC dynamic export cable technologies.

Such meetings are vital for aligning the interdisciplinary research efforts of DCDYNAMIC with the practical needs of cable manufacturing for floating offshore substation. By promoting technical exchange and strengthening working relationships, the consortium progresses toward its mission to advance reliable and sustainable cable technology for European electricity grids.

DCDYNAMIC partner from University of Manchester, ETH Zürich, Shell and NKT.

S&B Advances Offshore Wind Dialogue at WindEurope and FOWT 2025

Jun 4, 2025

S&B Advances Offshore Wind Dialogue at WindEurope and FOWT 2025

As part of the DCDYNAMIC consortium, project partner Skowronnek & Bechnak (S&B) recently represented the project at two major industry events: WindEurope 2025 in Copenhagen and FOWT 2025 in Brest.

In both settings, S&B underlined the strategic importance of HVDC dynamic cable systems for enabling far-shore and deep water floating offshore substations.

At WindEurope 2025, S&B actively contributed to the conversation around risk and insurance in offshore wind, engaging in early-stage exchanges with the on-site insurer community. The presence of satellite events dedicated to insurer exchange on current trends in underwriting and claims in the offshore wind sector confirmed the critical relevance of DCDYNAMIC’s technology development. As leader of Work Package 7, S&B shared insights on how the project is working to increase the insurability and affordability of next-generation dynamic HVDC export cables.
A nice occasion for Ralf Skowronnek and Barbora Bechnak also, to visit the booth of project partner NKT, to discuss the technical features and innovative solutions involved in designing dynamic cables that can withstand the floating offshore environment – a key challenge towards cost-effective, long-distance submarine cable transmission systems.

At FOWT 2025, S&B also participated in the World Forum Offshore Wind (WFO) and BW Ideol evening reception, contributing to broader discussions on innovation, far-shore deployment, and the evolving role of insurance in supporting new infrastructure. These exchanges will inform DCDYNAMIC’s upcoming technical and insurance benefit packages aimed at supporting future commercial deployment of projects necessitating DC dynamic cable technology.