It will be implemented by Windplus, a consortium owned by EDP Renewables, Mitsubishi, Chiyoda, Engie and Repsol.
Planned to be built at a site located 20km off the Portuguese coast at Viana do Castelo, the proposed JPY16bn ($130m) WindFloat Atlantic (WFA) project will feature three or four wind turbines on floating foundations.
The project will utilize Principle Power-developed WindFloat technology, a semi-submersible foundation.
The consortium plans to commission the wind power project in 2018. Mitsubishi and Chiyoda will have 20% stakes each in the project,
Backed by the European Commission through the NER 300 program and the Portuguese Government through the Portuguese Carbon Fund, the project was also selected by the European Investment Bank for the InnovFin program.
The WindFloat semi-submersible foundation technology was earlier used in a prototype project, known as WindFloat 1, in Portugal.
Featuring a Vestas-built 2MW turbine mounted on the floating platform, the WindFloat 1 project generated more than 16GWh in almost four years.
Based on the successful results of WindFloat 1 project, the WindFloat Atlantic project has been launched in order to assess the economic potential and reliability of the WindFloat technology.
Image: The first Windfloat prototype project. Photo: © EDPR.
