Gazelle Wind Power, which develops next-generation floating offshore wind platforms, and Tugdock, developers of the world’s first road-transportable floating dry dock known as the Tugdock Submersible Platform, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to co-develop a modular offshore wind assembly system, that it is hoped will significantly drive down costs and increase the production of floating offshore wind farms.
The design of Gazelle Wind Power’s platform includes what is said to be a revolutionary patented dynamic mooring system that eliminates pitch and balance movement in response to the external forces of wind, waves, and tide. The modular design allows for scalable and adaptable configurations, making it a more affordable and accessible solution for deep water deployment. Gazelle Wind Power is currently in discussions with a number of developers with the potential to secure in excess of 5 GW of projects for delivery before 2035.
The modularity of Gazelle’s components enables the offshore wind platform modules to be fabricated cost-effectively in shipyards and then transported to an assembly port, adjacent to a wind farm, to be completed. The Tugdock Submersible Platform is a patented technology that supports the deployment of commercial-scale floating wind by providing a build and launch platform that overcomes port constraints. The structure combines a steel frame and patented airlift bags to act as additional buoyancy or as a submersible platform for lifting or launching heavy marine structures.
The first project for the new partnership will be Italy’s largest offshore wind farm, the Molise Offshore Wind Farm project in the Adriatic Sea, where the combined technologies will help install 70 turbines, total capacity 1.05 GWe. It will cover a total area of 219 square km, and the turbines will be located in waters spanning depths in the range 88 m to 126 m. The first platform is planned to be launched in January 2028.
