The pilot project will analyse the behaviour of the floating wind turbine under real operational and extreme weather conditions
Saitec and BiMEP to install one offshore floating wind turbine for testing purposes in Spain. (Credit: Saitec Offshore.)
Saitec Offshore Technologies and the open sea test site Biscay Marine Energy Platform (BiMEP) have signed an agreement to install DemoSATH project off the Basque Coast in Spain.
Under the project, a floating wind foundation connected to the Spanish grid using the SATH Technology will be installed. Marine operations are expected to take place by the end of next year.
Swinging Around Twin Hull (SATH) technology is based on a twin hull made of modularly prefabricated and subsequently braced concrete elements. The float is claimed to align itself around a single point of mooring as per the wind and the wave direction.
Once connected to the grid, the DemoSATH could generate enough clean energy to be supplied to nearly 2,000 Spanish homes.
The floating wind turbine will be installed 3km off the coast in Spain
The 2MW turbine and the structure, which is about 30m wide and 67m in length, will be assembled at the port of Bilbao. From there, it will be towered to its anchorage point of BiMEP, about 3km off the coast, where the sea is about 85m deep.
The main aim of the project is to analyse the behaviour of the wind turbine under real operational and extreme weather conditions.
It will also be carried out to collect data and gain real-life knowledge from the construction, operation and maintenance of the turbine unit.
The pilot project is expected to last for three and-a-half years which includes 18 months for planning and construction followed by a two-year operating phase.
Saitec Offshore Technologies chief operations officer Luis González-Pinto said: “This real-scale demonstrator is a massive step for us. A major milestone that could be considered as one of the most challenging gates to go through in order to achieve commercialization.
“As if this was not enough, we have the chance to develop this project in our homeland using BiMEP testing area. Basque Country has a very active industry on the offshore wind sector, and we think that this project could become the spearhead for Basque floating wind sector.”