The floating wind farm can generate up to 25MW of clean energy, to power over 60,000 homes in Portugal
The WindFloat Atlantic offshore wind farm with the three turbines installed. (Credit: Repsol.)
WindFloat Atlantic, with 25MW of capacity, owned by EDPR, Engie, Repsol and Principle Power and the first floating wind farm in continental Europe, is now fully operational.
The floating wind farm is located 20km off the coast of Viana do Castelo, Portugal.
The construction of the floating wind farm has now been completed following the connection of the last of the three platforms to the 20 m export cable connecting the wind farm to the substation at Viana do Castelo, Portugal.
The first platform of the WindFloat Atlantic wind farm was connected to the grid in January this year.
Powered by three turbines, WindFloat Atlantic can generate enough clean energy to power nearly 60,000 Portugal homes annually, while saving nearly 1.1 million tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
Repsol stated: “This milestone cements the success of a decade-long project by the Windplus joint venture, ensuring access to the best wind resources in water depths that have previously been inaccessible.”
Platforms for the wind farm manufactured in Portugal and Spain
The wind turbines were installed on platforms measuring 30m in height with a distance of 50m between the columns. Each of the platforms accommodates an 8.4MW turbine, which is claimed to be the largest ever for a floating platform.
Two of the platforms were manufactured at the shipyards in Setúbal, Portugal, while the third was constructed in Avilés and Fene, Spain.
The offshore floating wind farm has used mooring technology which allows for installations at water depths of more than 100m and it has been designed to be stable in adverse weather and sea conditions.
Repsol added: “These technical advantages, among others, clearly show that Windfloat Atlantic’s model is replicable in other areas where adverse seabed conditions or significant water depth mean that traditional bottom-fixed offshore wind technology is not an option.”
The WindFloat Atlantic offshore floating wind farm is owned by the Windplus consortium which includes EDP Renewables, Engie, Repsol and Principle Power with 54.4%, 25%, 19.4% and 1.2%, respectively.