This part of IEC 61400 specifies additional requirements for assessment of the external conditions at an offshore wind turbine site and specifies essential design requirements to ensure the engineering integrity of fixed offshore wind turbines. Its purpose is to provide an appropriate level of protection against damage from all hazards during the planned lifetime.

This document focuses on the engineering integrity of the structural components of an offshore wind turbine but is also concerned with subsystems such as control and protection mechanisms, internal electrical systems and mechanical systems.

A wind turbine shall be considered as a fixed offshore wind turbine if the support structure is subject to hydrodynamic loading and it is founded on the seabed. The design requirements specified in this document are not sufficient to ensure the engineering integrity of floating offshore wind turbines. For floating installations, reference is made to IEC 61400‑3‑2. In the remainder of this document, the term “offshore wind turbine” is assumed to refer to those that are fixed to the seabed.

This document should be used together with the appropriate IEC and ISO standards mentioned in Clause 2. In particular, this document is fully consistent with the requirements of IEC 61400‑1. The safety level of the offshore wind turbine designed according to this document shall be at or exceed the level inherent in IEC 61400‑1. In some clauses, where a comprehensive statement of requirements aids clarity, replication of text from IEC 61400‑1 is included.