Sian Crampsie
The world’s largest floating offshore wind turbines have started generating energy off the coast of Portugal.
The first of the three platforms that will make up the WindFloat Atlantic offshore wind farm was towed into position 20 km from the coast in October 2019 and connected to the grid on 31 December 2019, according to EDP, which leads the Windplus consortium developing the project.
The wind farm will comprise three MHI Vestas 8.4 MW wind turbines installed on 30 m-high floating platforms. The second unit set off from the Port of Ferrol in Galicia, northern Spain, at the end of December 2019.
The WindFloat Atlantic platforms are anchored with chains to the seabed at a depth of 100 m, while 20 km-long cables connect the wind farm to the Viana do Castelo substation in Portugal. The project aims to demonstrate commercial-scale floating wind technologies and drive cost reduction.
The Windplus consortium comprises Portuguese utility EDP Renewables with a 54.4 per cent stake, French energy giant Engie with 25 per cent, Spanish oil major Repsol with 19.4 per cent, and Principle Power, the developer of the floating platform, with a 1.2 per cent interest.
