As global wind energy development expands into geologically active zones, especially the booming Asia-Pacific market, conventional wind and wave design codes are no longer sufficient to mitigate systemic risks triggered by earthquakes.
On July 2, DNV officially launched the 2026 edition of its recommended practice DNV-RP-0585 Seismic Design of Wind Power Plants, delivering state-of-the-art technical guidelines for both onshore and offshore wind projects.
Earthquakes pose multiple threats to wind turbines, foundations, offshore substations, subsea power cables and even installation vessels. This standard update aims to fill the gap in existing codes that only cover wind and wave load conditions while ignoring seismic hazards.
The revised document seamlessly integrates with DNV’s existing suite of standards and complies with the IEC 61400 series, establishing a unified risk assessment framework for wind projects worldwide.
DNV states that the revision is not developed in isolation but draws on collective industry expertise. It incorporates practical operational experience from recently commissioned wind farms and cutting-edge findings from the ACE 2-EVOLUTION joint industry project. More than 20 enterprises spanning the full offshore wind supply chain participated in the initiative to tackle core technical bottlenecks in seismic design.
Six key areas have been upgraded in the 2026 standard:
1.Advanced analytical methodologies: Updated seismic analysis approaches and numerical modelling requirements
2.Soil-foundation interaction: Revised recommendations for soil-structure interaction and foundation damping
3.Accurate ground motion selection: Supplementary guidance on seismic load definition and ground motion spectrum selection
4.Wind farm cluster design: New strategies to identify critical design locations within large-scale wind parks
5.Vessel seismic safety: First-time inclusion of design provisions for installation vessels operating in seismic-prone waters
6.Regional compliance: An appendix compiling local seismic design mandatory requirements for Japan
DNV adds that the standard delivers systematic technical guidance to wind project designers, developers, equipment manufacturers, investors, regulatory authorities and third-party certification bodies in seismically active regions. It significantly enhances the structural resilience of wind assets and improves investment certainty for wind developments in earthquake-prone areas.
