The classification society ABS has certified the WindFloat Atlantic floating wind turbines, the first of which was installed off the coast of Portugal in October.
The semi-submersible platforms, designed by Principle Power, are fitted out with 8.4 MW MHI Vestas offshore wind turbines and will be installed at a water depth of 100m.
The 25 MW WindFloat Atlantic project will consist of three floating wind turbines located 20 kilometres off the coast of Viana do Castelo in Portugal. The other two wind turbines are expected to be installed by the end of this year.
ABS certified the first commercial-sized semi-submersible floating offshore wind turbine, WindFloat 1, in 2011. The WindFloat 1 (WindFloat Aguçadoura) unit, decommissioned in 2016, was a 2 MW floating wind turbine moored in a water depth of around 50 metres 4 kilometres off the northern Portuguese coast.
“Principle Power is very pleased to work with ABS, once again, in the framework of the WindFloat Atlantic project, building on the successful collaboration of the WindFloat 1 prototype. WindFloat Atlantic represents a major milestone for the floating offshore wind industry as it is the world’s first semi-submersible floating wind farm,” said Steven Barras , Chief Technical Officer at Principle Power.
The WindFloat Atlantic project is being developed by the Windplus consortium, comprising EDP Renewables (54.4%), Engie (25%), Repsol (19.4%), and Principle Power Inc. (1.2%).